This year, anything less would be unsatisfactory.
The women started their spring slate with a four-match trip to California, where they played a very difficult schedule and returned 2-2.
The opening match of their season was a nail-biter against Pomona-Pitzer, the sixth ranked team in Division III. The Jeffs, who started the season ranked fourth, fell just short in a 5-4 loss.
In singles play, the Jeffs took two of the six matches, with Rachel Holt '05 taking a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the second singles slot and Wallis Molchen '04 pulling out a 6-3, 7-6 victory in the fifth singles slot. In doubles the Jeffs were able to take two out of three, with victories coming in second and third doubles from the pairings of Susanna Burke '03 playing with Holt and the team of Tristan Hedrick '05 and Molchen, respectively.
"Rachel [Holt] played great this break," said co-captain Stephanie Fong '02. "She is probably one of the strongest freshman players in the nation and should do great this season."
In their next match, it was more heartbreak for the Jeffs, as they dropped another match by a single point. This time the opponent was Cal State-Fullerton, a Division I power, but that was of little matter to the team.
"The team was disappointed after losing the first two matches so closely," said Fong. "Yet, since they were the first two matches of the season, the matches are a starting point and only encourage us to further improve throughout the season."
Against Fullerton the Jeffs split the singles matches, but lost two of the three doubles matches to end up on the wrong side of a 4-3 score.
The underclassmen continued their impressive play against Fullerton as the trio of Holt, Molchen and Hedrick all pulled out victories in singles play. In doubles it was the top team of Fong and co-captain Heather Cole '02 that pulled out the lone Jeffs win.
The Jeffs emphatically stopped their two-match skid with a win against Chapman University. The Jeffs dominated all nine matches coming away with a 9-0 straight set victory. Burke, Molchen and Hedrick did not lose a game in their singles matches and the third doubles team of Hedrick and Molchen cruised to an 8-0 victory as well.
The Jeffs faced tougher competition in their final match of the spring trip, facing off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a squad that is ranked eighth in the country. But, against their third top-notch opponent of the trip, the Jeffs were able to get their first quality win, coming back to Amherst with a 7-2 victory.
Holt and Molchen continued to lead the way, as they finished the trip undefeated in singles play, while Cole and Hedrick added singles victories as well. In doubles, the Jeffs took all three matches, with the third team of Hedrick and Molchen surviving a tie-break to pull out a tight victory.
With the spring trip over, the Jeffs now enter the second phase of their season, but their road to the top will be a little easier. After a break until April 11, the Jeffs take on cross-town rival UMass, their second Division I opponent of the season. And while the Jeffs stick to Division III opponents after that battle, matches against Emory University and Williams College will prove to be difficult challenges.
"[The trip] was great team bonding," said Fong. "Now the team is looking to build toward a successful finish at Nationals. We have a really good season lined up, with matches against some of the top teams in the nation and those matches should challenge and prepare us for our hardest competition."