Despite dropping their last match to NESCAC and Little III rival Williams College, the women's tennis team entered the NCAA Division III Tournament as the number one seed. The Jeffs would use that ranking to their advantage and roar through their corner of the bracket.
In the first round of the tournament, the Jeffs faced a familiar adversary, the Wellesley College Blue. Amherst had already faced the Blue once this season, with an 8-1 thumping on April 27. The Jeffs received some positive news the day before that particular match. Freshman phenom Rachel Holt '05 was named NESCAC Women's Tennis Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-NESCAC. Joining her on the second team were teammates co-captain Stephanie Fong '02 and fellow freshman Tristan Hedrick.
Wellesley entered the tournament as the 22nd ranked team in the United States, with an impressive record of 17 wins to only three losses and with a 10-1 record since March. The 17 wins made this team the third most successful Blue team ever. Amherst entered the tournament with a solid 9-6 record of their own.
Despite the Blue's accomplishments this season, the Jeffs were not ready to allow rivals to play the role of spoiler. Amherst blanked Wellesley 9-0 in the first round, with every member of the team winning in straight sets. Fong defeated Stephanie Eckhart 6-1, 6-3. Holt took down Kirsi Hakkinen 6-1, 6-2. Co-captain Heather Cole '02 overwhelmed Meredith Friedman 6-3, 6-0. Wallis Molchen '04 did not lose a single game to Mia Pearson, winning the match 6-0, 6-0. Tristan Hedrick '05 crushed Elizabeth Okasako 6-0, 6-1, and Roopali Agarwal '03 overpowered Mary Chang 6-3, 7-5. The three doubles teams of Fong and Cole in the "A" flight, Agarwal and Holt in the "B" flight and Molchen and Hedrick in the "C" also found very little to worry about, prevailing 8-0, 8-2 and 8-1, respectively.
Next on the docket for Amherst was 11-2 Tufts University. Like the Blue, the Jeffs had already faced the Jumbos earlier in the season, coming out on top 7-2. This time, Amherst came out on top with a final score of 6-3. In the "A" slot, Fong defeated Katie Nordstrom 6-4, 6-1. Holt defeated Barclay Gang 6-3, 6-0 in the "B" slot. Hedrick prevailed in a competitive match in the "E" slot against Ned Pisheva 6-7, 6-1, 6-1. The final win came in "F" singles, with Agarwal routing Nicole Arens 6-0, 6-0. Cole and Molchen lost their matches in tight three affairs. Cole fell to Iffy Saeed 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, and Molchen lost to Trina Spear 0-6, 7-5, 4-6.
Amherst took two out of three in the doubles matches. Fong and Cole dispatched the team of Nordstrom and Saeed 8-2 and Mochen and Hedrick took down the duo of Spear and Arens. The Jeffs lost the "B" doubles match 8-5, with Agarwal and Holt falling to Gang and Pisheva.
With the win, the women's tennis team reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament, which, for any other team, would be an impressive accomplishment. Their quarterfinal opponent was Emory University, another team Amherst had already faced. Their first meeting was a 7-2 thumping at the hands of the Eagles.
Unfortunately, it seemed, on this day, history repeated itself. Amherst lost the match and bowed out of the NCAA Tournament by a score of 6-3. The Jeffs lost every doubles match by the score of 8-2. Fong overcame Mary Ellen Gordon in her singles match 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Holt overcame dropping the first set to take the next two and defeat Mary Ellen Gordon 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Agarwal won her match against Lindsay Tiemeyer 3-6, 1-2 when Tiemeyer retired.
For Fong, Holt and Cole, however, the team tournament was not the end of their year. Fong and Holt qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship which was played last Monday. Fong dropped her opening round match in the singles tournament to Becca Dutton of Claremont MS 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-4. Holt was more successful, winning her opening round match against Lindsay Smith 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, before bowing out to Erika Proko of Washington and Lee University. Fong and Cole dropped their first round doubles match to the team from Washington College, Ne'ko Browder and Shoko Nakamura, 7-6(5), 6-4.
The outlook for next year looks cloudy, to say the least. The two co-captains and doubles teammates Fong and Cole will graduate, leaving the top of the Amherst lineup in doubt. But, if Amherst is able to recruit players of Holt's caliber, the Jeffs' success in the NCAA Tournament should continue.