HARTFORD, Conn. – The No. 8 Tufts University women's tennis team kept rolling on Tuesday, as the Jumbos posted their fifth sweep of the 2017 season during a 9-0 triumph over Trinity (Conn.) in Hartford, Connecticut.
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| Lauren Louks clinched the match for the Jumbos at No. 2 singles. |
The 2017 version of the Jumbos (13-4, 6-2 in NESCAC) have compiled a sensational spring season thus far, with still a great deal of tennis to be played. The squad's 13 wins are already the most by the program since the 2010-11 campaign, when the squad reeled off an impressive 16-6 mark under head coach Kate Bayard.
Junior Lauren Louks clinched the Jumbos' victory over the Bantams (6-7, 1-5 in NESCAC) during No. 2 singles, as she was leading freshman Julia Brogan, 6-0, 3-0, and then Brogan was unable to continue competing, due to injury.
Sophomore Mina Karamercan and Louks came out of the gates flying during No. 1 doubles, sweeping junior Vanja Babunski and Brogan, 8-0. The Jumbos' depth has keyed the group's success all season, and Tuesday was no different, as sophomores Tomo Iwasaki and Otilia Popa took care of business at the No. 2 flight, outdoing freshmen Jillian Winer and Krista Jiranek, 8-2.
Senior captains Alexa Meltzer and Conner Calabro catapulted the Jumbos into singles action, by dismissing sophomore Jane Weber and junior Ania Aliev, 8-1, at the third slot.
Iwasaki opened up singles action with a clean slate at No. 3 singles and she remained flawless for the entire match, downing Jiranek in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. Immediately after Louks' match-clinching performance, Karamercan flexed her muscles atop the singles list, besting Babunski, 6-0, 6-1.
Calabro was at the top of her game at the No. 5 slot, defeating Aliev in rapid fashion, 6-1, 6-0. Senior Chelsea Hayashi outperformed junior Sara Curtis during the first set, 6-0, and then won the second, 6-1, at the sixth slot.
Meltzer made sure the Jumbos stayed perfect for the entirety of the match in No. 4 singles, fighting back from a 6-4 opening-set loss to Winer. The captain fired back with a 6-2 second-set win, and then emerged victorious in the superbreaker, 10-3.
The Jumbos will conclude their 2017 regular-season schedule on Saturday with a noon matchup at No. 4 Williams in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Williams will be hosting the 2017 NESCAC Championship on May 5-7.
Written by Trevor Wenners, Athletic Communications Intern
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