Despite Wellesley's impressive regional ranking, Amherst entered Saturday's contest as a heavy favorite after having dispatched both Middlebury College and Tufts University the previous week with relative ease. But to their credit, the Blue, who entered the match undefeated, made it clear from the outset that they would not be intimidated by the higher-ranked Jeffs.
As has been the case throughout the spring season, Amherst struggled somewhat in the opening doubles portion of the match, posting its third consecutive 2-1 showing in that phase of the competition. The usually reliable third doubles team of quad-captain Erin Murphy '05 and Laura Stein '08 dropped the final four games of their match to wind up on the wrong side of an 8-5 decision. At first doubles, senior quad-captains Rachel Holt '05 and Tristan Hedrick '05 teamed to produce a solid, if unspectacular, 8-4 win over formidable opposition.
The high point for the Jeffs' doubles was the improved play of Kristen Raverta '06 and Katie Hudson '07 at second doubles. This pair entered the match on a two-game losing streak, but returned to top form on Saturday, cruising to an 8-1 victory.
With only one point separating the two teams heading into the singles, the outcome of this match was still up in the air. Amherst's path to victory also became slightly more troubled when the team's top two singles players, Holt and Hedrick, surrendered the opening sets of their respective matches. But as the returns started to come in from the outer courts, it became clear that the Jeffs were well on their way to yet another triumph.
Monica Snyder '08 continued her fine play this season at the fifth singles position and was the first Jeff in the win column following her convincing win over Hali Walther, 6-4, 6-0. Raverta walked off the court shortly after Snyder with an impressive straight-set victory of her own at third singles, and Murphy sealed Wellesley's fate with a 6-0, 6-4 conquest at the sixth singles position.
Unfortunately, a back injury forced Hadley Miller '06 to retire from her fourth singles match at the start of the decisive third set, leaving just Holt and Hedrick on the court for Amherst. Although a team victory was already secured, neither Holt nor Hedrick let down at all in their respective matches despite the fact that they were both down a set. Indeed, as the final scores indicate, both players became more dominant as their matches wore on. Holt survived a difficult second set en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory at first singles, while Hedrick was similarly impressive at the end of her 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 win at second singles.
"It was a very busy week for us, and we have all played a lot of tennis, but our team is so tough," said Holt. "I am really proud of the way we all competed against Wellesley."
This Saturday, the Jeffs will travel to Williams College to take on the Ephs. While this contest has traditionally been Amherst's biggest match of the year, Williams is considered to be less of a threat this year than in the past. In October, the Jeffs whitewashed the Ephs, 9-0.
"Our strong performance this weekend gives us a lot of confidence going into next weekend," said Murphy. "Williams had an upset over Tufts, so we will both be entering the match with a win, but I think our strong showing in the fall will give us a valuable mental edge."