The Jeffs arrived in Grenelefe, a secluded resort area, late Monday night and were immediately thrown into action, facing St. Ambrose College early the next morning. "The St. Ambrose match was a real test," said Andrew Merle '04. "We hadn't had any outdoor experience yet this spring, so it was extremely difficult for everyone to adjust."
Nevertheless, the Jeffs overcame this pitfall and dominated St. Ambrose, winning all nine of the matches.
The following day, the team played another early morning match against Grinnell College, currently ranked 16th in the nation. "We all knew going into it that Grinnell would probably be the toughest match to win," said Rob Feeley '03. "Luckily, the St. Ambrose match was able to prepare us sufficiently."
The Jeffs secured three singles wins, with number three Adam Leibsohn '03, number four Dave Wellner '02 and number six Feeley pulling out close matches. However, with the score tied at three all, the Jeffs needed two of the three doubles tandems to win in order to take the match.
"We were all really tense heading into doubles," said Wellner. "Although it is normally one of our stronger areas, we probably hadn't practiced as much as we should have." Despite losing the number one doubles spot, Wellner and Feeley, and Pete Ransmeier '02 and Andy Tsai '03, at the number two and three doubles spots, were victorious, winning the match for the Jeffs, 4-3.
The final spring break matchup was against Division I school University of Hartford. Despite losing the top two singles spots, the Jeffs came back to win the match 5-2, with Leibsohn, Wellner, Tsai and Feeley taking their flights and sweeping the doubles.
"[Hartford] had an amazing number one and two but were short on depth," said Wellner. "The bottom of our lineup should continue to be an asset as we face tougher teams."
The Jeffs schedule will keep getting tougher, with many important NESCAC matches left to be played. The team will face Tufts University at home on Wednesday, April 4, then will battle the Connecticut College Camels away on Friday, April 6.
More difficult opponents may lay ahead, but the Jeffs are confident after their spring training trip that they will continue to succeed. "The resort was really secluded, which forced the team to really bond and build comradery," said Feeley. "This closeness can really help to boost communication and level of play on the court. I mean, who doesn't love being out there with eight of your friends?"