The Jeffs went down to Georgia, looking for some matches to steal,

They were in a bind, because in the rankings they were behind,

But they weren’t willing to make a deal,

They came across some teams whose play had been real hot,

But they grabbed their racquets, and how did they play? Well, boy, let me tell you what ...

Or at least that’s what Charlie Daniels would have said if he had been talking about the 14th-ranked men’s tennis team’s trip to Atlanta over spring break. The team got off to a successful start to its spring season, going 4-2 over the break, including an upset of 12th-ranked DePauw University.

Fire on the racquets—run boy, run,

The Jeffs are in the House of the Rising Sun!

The Jeffs started out on fire, dropping Oglethorpe University, 9-0, without losing a single set. Sewanee University fared little better, also falling 9-0, although they did manage to take a couple of sets.

The team then split up, with half of the players going to Rome, Ga. to take on a highly ranked National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Conference team in Shorter College. The NAIA is separate from the NCAA, and their athletes are eligible to receive scholarships, unlike Div. III NCAA athletes. Despite this setback, Amherst was able to win three matches, as first-year Sean Doerfler and sophomore Alex Kaufman both won their singles matches, and first-years Moritz Koenig and Max Gumport teamed up to win in doubles.

Meanwhile, the other half of the team was in Athens, Ga. easily dispatching Piedmont College with another 9-0 victory. The road, however, would get more difficult for Amherst, as two opponents ranked ahead of the Jeffs loomed ahead.

The fourth-ranked team opened up their bags, and said, “We’ll show y’all.”

And true to their word, they could really wallop the ball,

When they swung their racquets it made an evil hiss,

The sound of the matches sounded something like this:

The fourth-ranked Eagles of Emory University were indeed able to play a pretty good tune against the Lord Jeffs, winning the overall match 8-1. There were some bright spots for Amherst, though, as seniors Jeff Wan and Geoff Schwartz were able to win their doubles match, and both Zach Lerner ’09 and Mike Mintz ’08 played tough three-set matches. The team would take the momentum into the final match against 12th-ranked DePauw.

When Emory was finished, the Jeffs said, “Well, you’re pretty good, old son,

But take a seat and let us show you how its done.”

The Jeffs brought their A-game against DePauw, as they nearly swept the singles matches, losing only the fifth line. The doubles matches were a bit more rocky, but Mintz and fellow senior Tal Avrahami were able to salvage one match with a 8-1 victory. Overall, the team came away with a 6-3 win and much-needed momentum heading into the NESCAC schedule.

“Even though they were ranked higher than us, we came into the match with the mindset that we deserved to win the match because of the work we have been putting in,” said Mintz. “In the end, I think we just wanted it more than they did.”

The team will travel to Dartmouth University on Friday to challenge themselves against some Div. I competition, and then will take on Little Three rival Wesleyan University at home on Saturday at 2 p.m.