Although it was cold and frigid, many Amherst fans faithfully braved the conditions and came out to support the Jeffs. Unfortunately, it was the Ephs who were best able to deal with the unfavorable playing conditions.
Senior captain Alicia Menezes and sophomore Brittany Berckes got the Jeffs off to a high note at the first doubles position, winning 8-6. However, at the second spot, sophomore Jill Wexler and Natasha Brown fell 8-4. As both matches finished, the crucial third doubles match went down to the wire.
Down 7-5, seniors Laura Stein and Jen Murphy held serve to bring the match to 7-6. In the following game, Stein and Murphy fought off match points, and even had a game point of their own, but ultimately dropped the game to fall 8-6. With the 2-1 deficit after doubles, the Jeffs knew they had their work cut out for them in singles.
Just as the Jeffs expected, every singles match was competitive. Wexler fell 6-4, 6-2 at the second spot, and at the top singles spot, Berckes lost a close three set match 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Menezes was able to come up with a big win at the third spot, with a 6-4, 7-5 victory.
However, with just three matches left on court, and trailing 4-2, the Jeffs had to win out for the victory. The fans paced up and down the courts, as senior captain Monica Snyder was in a third set at the fourth spot, as was first-year Laken King at the fifth spot, and Brown was in a close second set, after winning the first. Brown was able to pull out the second set for a 7-5, 7-5 victory. However, the match ended and Williams clinched the victory when Snyder fell 7-5 in the final set. King pulled out her last set 6-4 to bring the match to a 4-5 final count.
Although the loss has to be very disappointing, the Jeffs know they have to worry about what is ahead of them. A true national contender, after finishing runner-up last season, the Jeffs cannot let this match bring them down, but rather view it as motivation to work harder and win the rest of their matches from here on out.
Perhaps the Jeffs can take a page out of the men’s basketball’s championship story last season. After losing a demoralizing game to Williams in the NESCAC Finals in 2007, the men went on to win the National Championship and make the Williams loss a moot point.
The Jeffs know, however, that all they can do is work as hard as they can and stay focused from here on out.
“We hope to face Williams again soon and use what we learned from this match,” said Stein. “We have a lot of tough competition ahead of us and a lot of potential to work hard and do well.”
They did just that yesterday, as they easily defeated 12th-ranked Tufts University 7-2. The Jeffs came out strong from the get go, pulling out two of three tough doubles matches. Menezes and Berckes handled their opponents with an 8-4 victory, while Stein and Murphy squeaked out a tough match by a 9-8 score.
In the singles the closest matches came at the top, but Berckes, Menezes and Snyder all won, while Wexler lost a close match. At the fifth spot Laken King dropped just one game, and at number six Brown won 6-0, 6-0.
The Jeffs will return to action this weekend, taking on a pair of Maine schools at home, playing Colby College on Saturday and Bowdoin College on Sunday.