The three-day championship began Friday, as all five Jeffs who entered the singles tournament won their first round. Sophomore Monica Snyder defeated Derby McDermott of Wheaton College 6-2, 6-1. Sophomore Jenny Murphy won her match against Kelsey Hughes of Bowdoin 6-1, 6-3. Menezes handily took down Allie Rottkamp of Williams College by a 6-1, 6-0 score. Raverta had a close first set against Trish Devine of Wellesley College, but breezed through the second set to win 7-5, 6-0.
Junior Katie Hudson also won her first match, against Mt. Holyoke College's Aleksandra Mihailovic, but tore her ACL in the process, when she was up 6-0, 3-1. "I was stretching for an awkward backhand, but mainly I think it was just one of those freak accidents," she said. "The funny thing is, I actually finished that match and won it after an injury timeout. However, the first ball I went for in my next singles match my knee gave out, and we knew something was really wrong."
Raverta praised Hudson. "Like a true teammate she stayed and watched the matches through the finals," said Raverta.
In the round of 32, Snyder fell to Eph Alexandra Maclennan in a tie-break, and Hudson had to withdraw, but the other three Jeffs won their matches to continue in the tournament. Murphy upset fourth-seeded Beret Remak of Connecticut College in a tie-break. Menezes defeated Middlebury College's Clare Burke 7-6, 6-2, and Raverta won against Anne Schneidman of Williams.
Murphy lost her round of 16 match to Eph Cary Gibson, but her teammates met with greater success. Menezes handily defeated Bowdoin's Kara Perriello, who was seeded eighth, 6-0, 6-3. Raverta also won in straight sets against Annie Hancock of Williams.
Third-seeded Jenna Mezin of Wellesley ended Menezes's run in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-2. Raverta, however, defeated Bowdoin's Raymond 6-3, 6-2, earning herself a place in the semifinals.
Raverta faced Mezin in the semis and avenged teammate Menezes's loss, 6-4, 6-4. Panther Amy Roche was the only one who could stop Raverta, and did so handily in the finals, 6-1, 6-1.
Hudson and Snyder paired to enter the doubles tournament, as did Menezes and Raverta. In the first round, both pairs came out on top.
Ephs Maclennan and Schneidman defeated Hudson and Snyder in the round of 16, 8-5. Raverta and Menezes, however, easily beat Connecticut's Holly Bawden and Danielle Coleman, 8-1.
The Amherst duo proved unstoppable, taking down Trish Devine and Jen Schwarzkoff of Wellesley, 8-2, in the quarterfinals, then Gibson and Hancock of Williams by the same score in the semifinals. They faced Panthers Elizabeth Emery and Roche in the finals, and while Roche bested Raverta in the singles finals, the Jeffs got the last laugh and the title, winning 8-6.
The weekend-long tournament was long and exhausting with so many matches, as well as the travel to and from Maine. The team felt bolstered by Head Coach Jackie Bagwell. "She has a very caring and loving attitude towards us at these long weekends," explained Raverta. "Also Jackie said that it 'Was a splendid weekend! These girls are like family to me,' so that made everyone on the team feel good."
The greatest loss of the weekend was not a match but Hudson, who will be out for the rest of the season. "This is physically painful, but probably the hardest is it's emotionally devastating. I'm having my surgery in December and I'm out for the whole year. I hope to be back on the court training next summer for my senior year," she said. "My inspiration through this all is Alicia Menezes, who tore her ACL last fall just a few weekends after the Rolex. I keep telling myself, 'Alicia won the Rolex two years in a row with a torn ACL in between.' It's very encouraging."
Amherst has sufficient depth that the women will be able to fill in for Hudson. "The rest of the team will be able to step up-we're lucky we're deep. At least, since I have to be on the sidelines for the year, I get to watch an amazing team that's going to keep winning," said Hudson.
Raverta and Menezes had an added incentive in their doubles quest for the top. "[Bagwell] honestly promised Alicia and me her shorts if we won the doubles match and we did! So we are now the proud owners of yellow and blue checkered-patterned Bermuda shorts," said Raverta. "We have to share them, I guess."
The Jeffs return to the courts on Sunday for a home doubleheader against Bowdoin at 9:30 and Colby at 3:00.