Last October, Amherst blanked Williams 9-0, but two losses in doubles prevented the Jeffs from securing a second consecutive sweep of the Ephs.
Playing indoors due to relentless rain, Amherst quickly found itself trailing 2-1 after the completion of the doubles matches. At first doubles, quad-captains Rachel Holt and Tristan Hedrick-the number-one ranked tandem in the Northeast-saw their four-match winning streak come to an end at the hands of Allison Rottkamp and Anne Schneidman. Meanwhile, Kristen Raverta '06 and Katie Hudson '07 dropped their third match out of their last four at the second doubles position. The only satisfaction Head Coach Jackie Bagwell could find in doubles was in the play of senior quad-captain Erin Murphy and Laura Stein '08 at third doubles. Stein and Murphy teamed up to deliver Amherst its first point of the match with an 8-3 victory at the final doubles spot.
Although Amherst was clearly the better team, the Jeffs had their work cut out for them heading into singles down 2-1.
Coming into the match, the main concern for Amherst was the absence of Hadley Miller '06, who was prevented from playing at her usual fourth singles position due to injury. With Miller out of Coach Bagwell's lineup, Monica Snyder '08 and Erin Murphy were each obliged to play one level higher than they are accustomed-at fourth and fifth singles, respectively-and Hudson was thrust back into the singles rotation at the sixth slot. However, these three women had no problem taking their game up a notch.
The Jeffs dropped only a single set at the bottom half of their singles lineup. Snyder and Hudson were both straight-set winners at fourth and sixth singles, respectively, and Murphy rallied to win a decisive third set tiebreaker after surrendering the second set of her match.
The team's results were ultimately decided at the lower singles matches, because, as expected, the Jeffs had little trouble with the overmatched Ephs in the first three singles slots. Holt, Hedrick and Raverta all won their matches easily, as none of the three surrendered more than three games in any set.
"Williams is always important and exciting because they are such a big rival," said Raverta. "It is a great way to end the regular season going into NESCACs and NCAAs."
With the win over Williams, Amherst not only swept its nemesis but also completed a perfect 9-0 record against Div. III competition this season. The Jeffs have now assured themselves of hosting NCAA regional play, receiving a first-round bye, and they must also be considered a top contender to win the NCAA Tournament.
But before Amherst can set its sights on the NCAA Tournament, the Jeffs have other business to attend to. This weekend, Coach Bagwell will take her team north to Middlebury College where the Jeffs will compete in the NESCAC Tournament. Amherst is a heavy favorite to win its first outright NESCAC title this year after sharing that honor with Williams last season.
"NESCACs are a great opportunity for us to play some highly competitive matches before Nationals," said Holt. "But while this week's tournament is important for match play, we are certainly more focused on the tournament that is set to begin in two weeks."
The Jeffs' main sources of competition for the national crown figure to be Washington & Lee University and Emory University, the team that defeated Amherst in last year's championship match. The draw for the NCAA Tournament will be announced Sunday night, and the NCAA Regionals are slated to begin May 7, with eight teams advancing to compete for the national championship at Kalamazoo College in Michigan May 18-23.