MEDFORD, Mass. – Sophomore Tomo Iwasaki posted a match-clinching win during No. 3 singles action for the No. 8 Tufts University women's tennis team, as the Jumbos tallied a crucial NESCAC Conference win over No. 6 Wesleyan University (Conn.) on Saturday in Medford, Massachusetts.
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| Otilia Popa helped the Jumbos earn a win during No. 2 doubles. |
All spectators knew they were in for a treat with this matchup, as both squads entered the match ranked in the top-eight among all Division III institutions in the country. The Jumbos (10-3, 3-1 in NESCAC) were able to win four out of six singles matches and two out of three on the doubles side over the Cardinals (7-2, 2-2 in NESCAC).
The Cardinals scored the first point, as juniors Helen Klass-Warch and Nicole McCann earned an 8-6 victory over senior captain Conner Calabro and Iwasaki during the No. 3 flight. Freshman Katherine Wiley and sophomore Otilia Popa put the Jumbos on the scoreboard, outdoing sophomore Victoria Yu and junior Aashli Budhiraja, 8-6, at the No. 2 slot.
The Jumbos turned to their star-filled pair at the No. 1 slot, with junior Lauren Louks and sophomore Mina Karamercan backing up their reputation with an 8-6 triumph over junior Eudice Chong and freshman Julia Kim.
Chong and Karamercan squared off at the top slot on the individual side, with Chong posting a straight-set victory, 6-4, 6-3. With the match even at 2-2, Wiley stepped up in a big way with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory against Klass-Warch at No. 4 singles.
Senior captain Alexa Meltzer extended the Jumbos' cushion to 4-2, as she dismissed McCann, 6-4, 7-5, during No. 5 singles action. Iwasaki then sealed the deal at the No. 3 slot with a come-from-behind victory over Budhiraja. Iwasaki fell, 6-3, in opening-set action, and then responded with a 6-2 victory in the second and a 6-4 win during the decisive third.
During No. 6 singles, junior Dasha Dubinsky and Calabro went back and forth. Calabro won the first set, 6-2, but then Dubinsky won back-to-back, must-win sets, with 6-4 and 6-1 wins in the second and third, respectively.
Louks and Yu was also a must-see battle at the No. 2 slot, as Louks won the opening set, 7-5, but then Yu responded with a 6-4 win during a must-win second set. In the do-or-die third set, Louks rose to the occasion with a commanding 6-0 triumph.
The Jumbos will be tested against in the NESCAC Conference on Wednesday, as the squad will host No. 12 Amherst in Medford, Massachusetts, at 4 p.m.
Written by Trevor Wenners, Athletic Communications Intern
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