The busy week started on Wednesday when the Jeffs took on the University of Connecticut Huskies, a Div. I squad. Conforming to their typical motif, the team fell behind early in the doubles matches. Only the team of Jeff Wan '08 and senior co-captain Karti Subramanian managed to pull out their match, winning the pro-set 8-4.
Down two matches to one, the team needed another of their signature singles comebacks to pull out the win. Wan, Subramanian and Zach Lerner '09 all pulled out their matches, but rookie Ben Krause, playing in place of injured classmate Tristan Biesecker, fell in the sixth singles position, knotting the score at four all. The contest came down to a tight match between Geoff Schwartz '08 and UConn's Ben Schueler. After taking the first set 7-5, Schwartz dropped the second set 4-6, and fell behind 4-5 in the third.
With Schueler attempting to serve out the match, Schwartz came up with a huge break and rallied to win the third set and the match, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
"Schwartz was in a bad position with his opponent serving with the wind, up a break in the third. To be honest, I thought we were going to suffer our second loss of the season," said Wan. "But Schwartz played three amazing games to ward off the loss."
After the close win, the Jeffs were happy to see NESCAC doormat Wesleyan University next on their schedule. The team traveled down to Middletown, Conn., on Thursday and found the Cardinals to be a bit more than they bargained for. The doubles, for a change, went according to plan, with the Jeffs sweeping 3-0.
The singles matches, however, were slightly trickier than the doubles. Much of the typical singles lineup, including Wan, Schwartz and junior Mike Mintz got the day off. In their absence, unseasoned first-year Alex Kaufman and Dan Gonzalez both struggled in their singles matches, losing the fifth and sixth flights. Tal Avrahami '08, also had a rough day, losing in straight sets in the fourth flight. Regulars Lerner, Biesecker and Subramanian were there to pick up the slack however, taking each of the top three singles flights to secure a 6-3 overall victory.
The final match of the week came on Saturday at home against another NESCAC rival, Bates College. Once again the team started out strong on doubles, winning two out of three matches, including an epic victory by Lerner and Avrahami. The team pulled out their pro-set in a tiebreaker, winning 9-8 (8-6).
At the third spot, Subramanian and Biesecker teamed to win another doubles point for the Jeffs. After that the singles was business as usual for the Jeffs. Mintz was again rested because of a back injury, and Biesecker had to retire after an elbow injury. Hopefully it will not sideline the first-year phenom for long. At the fifth spot Subramanian double bagled his opponent 6-0, 6-0, and Jeff Lawrence '07 dropped just two games in a 6-2, 6-0 victory. The closest singles match came at the third spot, at which Schwartz split the first two sets but came back to win 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
The team only has one match this upcoming week, but it is the most important match of the year. Amherst will host arch-rival Williams College, currently ranked sixth in the nation. The Jeffs have not defeated the Ephs in over a decade. Be sure to make your way down to the courts this Saturday at 1:00 to see the team try to reverse the trend.
NESCAC Notes
The Jeffs remain in the hunt for a NESCAC title, having gone 2-1 thus far in conference play. The favorite, however remains the Panthers of Middlebury College, who are currently ranked third in the nation. Williams is a close second, but the two teams have yet to face each other.