Traveling to Williamstown to participate in the NESCAC Championships, the Jeffs finished the weekend in a second place tie with Tufts University, trailing only Williams College.
The Jeffs went into the weekend ranked fourth in the country, while the Jumbos were fifth and the Ephs seventh.
"We always go into conference tournaments expecting to win," said co-captain Roopali Agarwal '03. "This weekend didn't work out as well as we hoped, but everyone accomplished something to be proud of."
The Jeffs performed well over the weekend, led by sophomore Tristan Hedrick. Hedrick competed in the B-flight singles competition, eventually taking a victory in the championship round after taking out two players from Williams. Hedrick's 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 win was the Jeffs' only victory in a championship game over the weekend, as they were relegated to a string of disappointing runner-up finishes.
"Tristan had a great run in singles," said Rachel Holt '05. "She played a particularly good final match to win the flight."
The Jeffs took home second place in four of the flights. Kristen Raverta '06 led the way in the A-flight. Raverta, the Jeffs' top singles player, made a run to the finals of the bracket before losing to Stephanie Hall of Williams. Hall dispatched both of Amherst's top players, as she took a two-set win from Holt in the semifinals.
The Jeffs also took second place in all three doubles flights. Holt and Hedrick led the way in the first doubles flight, falling to the top doubles team from Tufts, while the second team of Agarwal and Miller fell to opponents from Williams. Wallis Molchen '04 and Erin Murphy '05 fell in the finals to their counterparts from Williams as well.
"The most important thing about this weekend was that we were paired up against Williams in four of the finals," said Molchen. "Although the results weren't what we wanted, we saw what we have to work on before this weekend."
Despite the fact that the Jeffs only came home with a single win, their depth was showcased during the weekend. Amherst was the only one of the schools competing to have every one of their players advance to the final day of competition.
The weekend also brought a bounty of awards for the Jeffs. Seven members of the team were named All-NESCAC. Raverta was named the conference Rookie of the Year, following Holt as the second straight year that a Jeff has taken home that award. Hedrick joined Raverta on the conference first team, while Holt, Agarwal, Miller, Molchen and Murphy made the second team.
The Jeffs swing back into action this weekend with a pair of matches. On Saturday the Jeffs return to Williamstown to face the Ephs. This will be another grudge match, because in addition to their victory last weekend, the Ephs are the two-time defending national champions.
"We know how the girls from Williams play. So this weekend will just be about executing our shots and staying mentally focused," said Raverta.
On Sunday the Jeffs return home to take on Wellesley College. Last year the Jeffs faced off against Wellesley twice, blowing them out each time. In their first meeting, the Jeffs lost only one match on their way to an 8-1 win, and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Jeffs went for the clean sweep, taking all nine matches.