Although the Jeffs undoubtedly miss the leadership of the departed seniors, they proved this season that they possess substantial depth and have the potential to make a lot of noise in the spring. Still, it was not easy to fill the gaps left by the class of 2008. Alicia Menezes led the Jeffs for four years from the top half of the singles lineup, and Monica Snyder was a solid player for Amherst at the bottom half; Laura Stein and Jen Murphy formed a formidable doubles team; and no team was better than two-time NCAA doubles champions Menezes and Brittany Berckes ’10. Thus, Head Coach Jackie Bagwell appreciated the opportunity that fall presented to experiment with combinations before settling on the ideal lineup.
The Jeffs competed in only two team matches this season, but the three individual tournaments gave almost everyone on the squad an opportunity to showcase their talent. The Jeffs seemed to lack consistency at times, but over the course of the fall, many different players stepped up. Although they might not have collectively seen the results that they wanted, evidenced by a 6-3 loss to archrival Williams College, Amherst showed just how far the talent on their team extends—something that should make the entire team better in the spring. “For the spring season, it’s going to be key for the team to work together and support each other, not just in matches but in practices as well,” said sophomore Laken King.
Key for the Jeffs in the fall was Berckes, a familiar face at the top of the Jeffs singles and doubles lineups. Since arriving on the scene at Amherst, Berckes has proven to be one of the top players in both the NESCAC and the nation. The junior, who is looking for her third consecutive national championship in doubles, will be forced to do so with a new partner, sophomore Natasha Brown. The duo, playing for the first time together, meshed quickly, forming a formidable team. They first took the court in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association New England Championship (ITAs) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the second seed in the tournament. Though they fell in a close decision to a tough Tufts team, 9-8 (11), they nonetheless proved that they can play with the best.
The loss appeared only to strengthen the duo. The following week, Berckes and Brown took home the Gail Smith Doubles Classic Championship at Middlebury College. Even better, they avenged their loss to the Tufts team, beating them 8-6 in the semifinals and defeating the top-seeded Williams team, 8-6, in the championship round.
Despite this exciting doubles victory over Williams by Berckes and Brown, the Ephs would get the best of the Amherst squad in the remainder of the fall season. In a dual match, hosted by Amherst, the Jeffs fell to Williams, 6-3. The slow start and 0-3 deficit after the doubles play made it almost impossible for the Jeffs to get back in the match. Still, the match-up was closer than the final score implied, as the Jeffs fought hard in all of the singles matches; Carlissa King ’11 fell in three sets at number two, and Laken King ’11 and Laura Danzig ’12 lost by only one service break in each set.
A 9-0 rout over Wesleyan University the next day helped to improve the Jeffs’ spirits as they prepared for the final tournament of the season: the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament. Once again, results for the Jeffs were mixed. Williams had Amherst’s number once again, as Eph teams won both the A and B flights of the tournament.
Nonetheless, there were bright spots for Amherst. Danzig and Jill Wexler ’10 looked impressive, cruising to the quarterfinals to face the top-seeded Williams team. Although they could not pull off the victory, the Amherst duo gave the eventual champion Ephs quite a scare.
In singles play, Danzig split sets with Cary Gibson, last year’s national singles runner-up, to force a deciding tiebreaker. Danzig dominated the extra set, 10-3, to win the match. Since Wexler lost in singles, the match came down to the doubles; unfortunately for the Jeffs, Williams narrowly won, 8-6. After surviving Danzig and Wexler, the top Williams duo went on to defeat the King sisters in the semifinals and Berckes and Brown in the finals.
Though the season’s results may have been mixed, they suggest that Amherst has the talent and capability to hang with any and all competition. Still, Laken King thinks the Jeffs have even better results to look forward to. “I think our results on paper were great,” she said. “But we are capable of doing much better.”
Newcomer Danzig, playing in the bottom half of the lineup, proved that she can play with anyone in the NESCAC. The same is true for Carlissa King, who jumped all the way up to number two singles with her strong play in the fall. Finally, the three Jeff representatives in the quarterfinals of ITAs demonstrate the extraordinary depth and the options that Bagwell will have in forming the spring lineup.
“Of course we have room for improvement, especially when it comes to beating Williams,” acknowledged Brown. “But we have the drive to work harder and persevere so that we’ll win when it counts.”
Laken King concurred. “We’ll be even hungrier as we go into the spring season after our upset last year to Bowdoin and our loss earlier in the season to Williams. Ultimately, we look forward to winning a national title.”