"Sunday was pretty informal, but for the most part it was a pretty good challenge for us," said Head Coach Jackie Bagwell.
The event was set up in different flights, for the singles and doubles of each of the four teams. The singles matches were decided by an eight-game pro set, and the doubles matches consisted of just one regular set. "The format of the tournament, allowed us to see many different opponents from the top schools we compete with each year for conference titles and a trip to Nationals," said senior co-captain Caitlin Rhodes.
Due to the loss of key seniors and the arrival of a talented first-year class, the lineup will be shuffled greatly. Sunday served as a great opportunity to experiment with new possible doubles combinations.
The Jeffs' doubles, in particular, proved to be a success. The number-one combination of junior Alicia Menezes and first-year Brittany Berckes swept the competition, defeating Williams's number-one team and Middlebury's number two without dropping a game.
In the other doubles flights, Amherst also had a strong showing. The second doubles team, new partners junior Monica Snyder and senior co-captain Katie Hudson, defeated Tufts' and Middlebury's number-one squads.
"We got to see what our toughest competition in the NESCAC looks like," said Hudson. "And we got a chance to practice our new doubles teams, which is what we were hoping for."
In another positive performance, a new doubles team of juniors Laura Stein and Jen Murphy had a strong display. The two teamed up to defeat William's number four squad 6-4, but fell to William's number three team 6-3.
"It was great that our entire team was able to get matches in," said Murphy. "We have so much depth that is awesome to be able to display to the other teams."
In singles action, Amherst's number-one player, Menezes, had a strong showing in the singles 'A' flight but fell just short to Amy Roche, Middlebury's top player. However, Menezes bested the number-one players from both Tufts and Williams.
Murphy won the back draw of the 'B' Singles flight. After falling to Middlebury's number three (2-8), Murphy came back and defeated Tufts' number three (8-4) and Williams' number three (8-2). Berckes solidified her strong debut by winning her C flight (numbers five and six) without dropping a match.
In the 'D' flight, Stein had a strong showing, winning the back draw of the tournament after losing to a Panther. Stein came back strong and won her next two matches against her opponents from Tufts and Middlebury.
In the 'E' flight, Amherst showed its depth as Rhodes won her second round match (8-2) and sophomore Melissa Moulton won the third round match (8-2).
Overall, Sunday was a great experience for the Jeffs. The new doubles teams got their feet wet, along with the new first-years.
"Although our doubles combinations are pretty new, the matches we played went well," said Hudson. "We definitely saw areas for improvement that we are anxious to begin working on in practice."
NESCAC Notes
Amherst saw its top competition, Middlebury and Williams this Sunday. Menezes and Middlebury's Roche will meet again and most likely battle for the NESCAC Player of the Year.