Senior Brian Chin crushed his opponent (6-0, 6-0) while Arpan Podduturi '05 and Will Abbott '05 dragged their victories into the third set. With the score tied at three, all eyes turned to first singles player Adam Leibsohn '03. With the ponderous burden of the decisive match point resting heavily upon his shoulders, Leibsohn pulled through with a tight (5-7, 7-6, 7-6) win.
The Jeffs then extended their winning streak to three as they beat NESCAC opponent Connecticut College 4-3. Once again, Amherst lost the doubles point before clinching four of the six singles points. Co-captain Andy Tsai '03 (6-3, 6-3), Podduturi (6-1, 6-0), Abott (6-3, 6-3) and Godsall (6-2, 6-1) all won in straight sets.
Godsall, a rookie from Toronto, who ranked among the top 15 players in Ontario, played first singles and doubles in high school. Although he has contributed to the team as a regular doubles player this season, his win against Conn. marked his collegiate debut as a singles player.
Next up, Amherst faced a heart-wrenching defeat against highly touted NESCAC competitor Williams College on Saturday, April 12. In this much anticipated confrontation, the Ephs gave a dominating performance, sweeping the home team 7-0 and advancing to a 6-1 record on the season. The Lord Jeffs dropped to 6-2 in overall play.
The doubles tournament proved once again troublesome for the Jeffs as the Ephs claimed all three doubles match-ups. However, the Jeffs did not go down without a fight. Amherst battled through the singles competition; Leibsohn, Max Rettig '05, Podduturi and Chin took four of the top six games into the third set.
"It was disappointing that we lost as badly as we did, but everyone played as well as they have all year," said Godsall.
Senior co-captain Andy Tsai, who has delivered consistently solid play at the third and fourth singles position, was missing from Saturday's singles line-up. "Andy's game suits the outdoor courts better than indoor courts," said Godsall. Owing to weather conditions, the match was hosted indoors at Amherst's Coolidge Cage. As Godsall explained, the surface inside causes the tennis ball to travel faster, providing a distinct disadvantage for Amherst's base-line players. "Our team is better outside than inside. The indoor courts really hurt our performance," commented Godsall.
Saturday's match saw Rilla's return to the singles line-up as the third seed. Despite a (6-4, 6-1) loss to Williams' Jeff Kivitz, his presence in the top half of the line-up reflects positively on his comeback, following a three-month long absence. Is this perhaps an encouraging sign that Rilla is back in shape and ready to resume one of the top two singles spots? We'll find out soon enough when Amherst takes on Tufts University Thursday for more NESCAC action.