MEDFORD - Top ranked Amherst College and #5 Tufts University battled for six hours on Tuesday as play was moved indoors due to rain, and the visiting Lord Jeffs emerged with a 5-4 victory in a NESCAC women's tennis match at the Gantcher Center.
Amherst came out of doubles with a 2-1 lead. Two of the matches were tightly contested, including Tufts' 9-8 (4) win at #2 by sophomore Lindsay Katz (Baltimore, MD) and first year Eliza Flynn (Hamilton, MA). In the #3 match, Amherst's Jennifer Newman and Caroline Richman came from behind to win 8-6.
Tufts senior Julia Browne (Old Brookville, NY) won the #1 singles match against Amherst's Laura Danzig in straight sets, including a 7-6 (1) victory in the first set. Richman took two sets to win the #4 singles match for the Lord Jeffs.
Three other singles matches went three sets. Katz won the first set at #2 6-3, but Amherst's Carlissa King came back with 6-1 and 6-4 wins to take the match. Jumbo first year Shelci Bowman (Dallas, TX) was shut out in the first set, but rallied for 6-3 and 7-5 victories to capture the #3 match.
With the score 4-3 Amherst, Mimi Bell won sixth singles 6-1, 7-6 (3) to give the visitors the clinching fifth victory. Tufts' Lauren Hollender (Newton, MA) finished out her three-set victory at #5, in which she came back from down 1-0.
The Lord Jeffs won their eighth straight match and improved to 12-1 overall and 5-0 in NESCAC. Tufts, which lost for the first time in eight matches, fell to 11-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
Tenth-ranked Middlebury College visits Tufts on Friday for a 4 pm match. The Lord Jeffs host Trinity on Saturday at noon.
Match results
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