Last year, the women’s tennis team just missed qualifying for the postseason when a tiebreaker gave Tufts the edge for the sixth and final spot in the NESCAC Tournament.
Five of six starting spots were occupied by freshmen last season, making them one of the youngest teams in the NESCAC, and the year of experience should propel the team to the top half of the conference this fall.
The upcoming season’s starting lineup boasts four returning starters, including the team’s senior captain, Tori Santuro ’07 who spent the spring semester abroad. Santuro, who played in the number three slot last fall, has noticed her teammates have stepped their play up to another level this year. While much of the team’s improvement can be attributed to an additional year of match experience, Santuro points to an intense off-season training regimen.
“A lot of the girls on the team put in a lot of effort this off-season,” said Santuro. “Everybody got seriously into the fitness aspect over the summer, which really impressed me as a captain. Fitness is a really important part of tennis, and everyone stepped up [their training]. Everyone was doing great especially during our fitness training part of practices when we were running sprints. It shows the girls’ dedication to the team.”
Last year was a learning curve for the team. All six of the first year players gained valuable experience in the lineup and now enter their sophomore year determined to exceed last year’s 7th place finish in the NESCAC.
“This year we don’t want to be the last team not to make the tournament,” said Alex Sirois ’09.
Sirois saw a large amount of match experience last year, and her maturity will be pivotal this fall, as the team has no juniors and only one senior.
“We’re coming back with some experience this year,” Sirois said. “That definitely helps when you’re playing the rest of the competition, especially a younger player. Experience leads to more confidence and less nerves, and we can guide the freshmen the right way, too.”
“I think that last year’s experience has really been helpful,” added Emily Fish ’09, another second year player. “Especially when you get nerves on the court, it helps you know what to expect, including the competition we face and the different kinds of players in the NESCAC. We know now what it takes to beat those players.”
A trio of sophomores; Ania Preneta ’09, Mada Ursu ’09, and Rachael Ghorbani ’09, occupy the Lady Cardinals’ top three spots this year. These three players, especially Preneta, who went 11-5 at the second singles position last year, should continue their success at the top of the lineup, according to Santuro.
“In their first semester last year, the sophomores were impressive,” Santuro said. “Ania [Preneta], especially, is very consistent. She’s got a great backhand weapon and she knows what she’s doing every time she walks out on the court. She knows how to win.”
Meanwhile, Ghorbani took on some of the toughest competition and hardest hitters in Division III last year, and should prove to be an asset as she battles at the top of the order again this fall. Ursu played the majority of last season at the number three spot, and will rely on her consistent ground strokes to propel her at the top of the lineup again.
Last year, the Lady Cards had just seven players on the roster, with six needed to start. This year, however, three able freshmen will alleviate the depth issues that plagued the team last year. Anika Fisher ’10 and Meridith Holmes ’10 debuted against this past weekend against Skidmore in singles and doubles play, while Casey Simchik ’10 made her mark starting in the doubles lineup with Alex Sirois.
“Our depth is obviously better than last year,” Sirois said. “Last year we had a few hard hits early with injuries and it made it harder having a small team. This year, despite a couple of injuries, we’ve got good numbers and good depth.”
With virtually every player on the girls team able to step up into the singles lineup without any drop off, the bottom of the order has gotten stronger, and Santuro has the potential to go undefeated at the number six singles position this year.
“Playing at the sixth singles position this weekend was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome,” Santuro said. “Wherever coach puts me, I’ll do the best I can. Every single position on our team is so strong, it’s going to make for a wonderful season.”
Santuro, like Sirois, has her sights set on making the NESCAC Tournament.
“Making [the NESCAC tournament] is obviously a goal for us this year,” Santuro said. “I think that is definitely within reach. Especially with these girls. They’re all great athletes.”
But the teams expectations do not end within the conference.
“I think the girls, plus coach [Ken Alrutz] in particular, are looking to achieve even more than qualifying for [the NESCAC tournament], though. We’re looking to qualify for the Division III NCAA Tournament. And if qualifying for the NCAAs isn’t possible this year, it will be a realistic goal in the years to come.”
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