"I think the layoff was actually good for us," said co-captain Stephanie Fong '02. "It gave us the time to recover and improve after spring break and the team really began working hard and concentrating for the next round of matches."
The Jeffs started the northern portion of their spring schedule against cross-town rival UMass. Although the Minutemen are in Division I, the Jeffs have always fared well against them. This year was no different, as the duel went down to the last match, but Amherst fell short, losing 5-4.
The Jeffs earned a split of the six singles matches, as Fong, Tristan Hedrick '05 and Roopali Agarwal '03 all pulled out victories. Fong had the easiest path to victory, as her opponent withdrew due to injury in just the second game of the first set. Hedrick and Agarwal breezed to two-set victories, never really being challenged during their matches.
In doubles, the Jeffs were only able to take one of the three matches, with Hedrick and Wallis Molchen '04 combining for an 8-2 win in the third flight. The team of Fong and co-captain Heather Cole '02 fell 8-3 in the first flight, while Agarwal and Rachel Holt '05 were on the wrong side of an 8-4 score in the second doubles match. "The team knew we had a strong line-up of matches last week," said Fong. "We were a little disappointed with the close loss to UMass, but it served as a great warm-up for the weekend."
The weekend play brought in two more matches for the Jeffs, with the first being a showdown against Emory. Visiting from Atlanta, Emory brought their number two national ranking with them to Amherst. This match was a showdown between two of the top programs in the nation, but the Jeffs were unable to pull out a victory.
Emory swept the three doubles matches to get out to an early 3-0 lead against the Jeffs and they didn't look back from there. Holt and Cole were the only Jeffs to take home victories, at the number two and three singles slots, respectively. Hedrick fell in a three-set match, but other than that the Emory players had little trouble beating the Jeffs.
"The doubles points are going to be crucial in the big matches," said Fong. "The team really needs to work on winning the close matches, fighting for the little points and staying mentally tough on the court."
The Jeffs finished the weekend on a high note though, as they walloped visiting Colby College in a NESCAC showdown, 9-0. No player in the Jeffs singles or doubles matches was challenged by their opponent, as all of the matches were decided in the minimum number of sets.
Up next for the Jeffs is a home match against Tufts University, followed by the NESCAC Tournament this weekend at Middlebury College. The Jeffs' top competition at the conference tournament will likely be Williams College, who also has one of the strongest tennis programs in the country.
"This week is an important week with the Tufts match and the NESCAC tournament over the weekend," said Fong. "The team is looking to shore up the doubles play, which will be key for [NCAA] Regionals, and we're just looking to keep getting stronger both mentally and physically."