Recap courtesy of Amherst College
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Amherst College women's tennis team eliminated Tufts University from the 2019 NESCAC Championship Tournament with a 5-2 first-round victory on Friday at Middlebury College.
After Amherst took a 2-1 lead in doubles, freshman Jackie Bukzin posted a 6-3, 6-2 victory at number one singles to secure the 5-2 victory for the Mammoths (12-4). The Jumbos (8-9) will await a possible NCAA Tournament at-large berth.
Amherst advanced to the semifinals of the tournament where they will take on one-seeded Middlebury tomorrow. The Panthers received a bye on the first day and entered the championship with an undefeated conference record while the Mammoths boasted a 5-3 mark in the NESCAC.
Tufts' freshman duo of Maggie Dorr and Caroline Garrido won #1 doubles in a tie-breaker 8-7 (5) against Bukzin and senior Kelsey Chen for a 1-0 Tufts lead. Mammoth juniors Camille Smukler and Anya Ivenitsky were able to snag the second match in an 8-3 final score over Jumbo seniors Otilia Popa and Tomo Iwasaki. Amherst took the lead with another 8-3 win by the #3 pair of freshman Anya Ramras and junior Maddie Dewire over Tufts junior Kat Wiley and freshman Anna Lowy.
With Amherst up one heading to singles, Ivenitsky defeated Garrido 6-3, 6-2 for a 3-1 Mammoths lead. Smukler made the score 4-1 after grabbing a three-set triumph over Iwasaki at number two (2-6, 6-3, 6-2). The Jumbos hung in there with a 6-4, 6-3 decision at number three from sophomore Patricia Obeid over Dewire.
However, Bukzin cemented the victory by taking down Dorr at number one (6-3, 6-2), ending the day and launching the Mammoths into the semifinals. The #5 and #6 singles matches went unfinished.
The Jumbos and Mammoths were meeting in the first round of NESCAC's for the fourth straight year. Tufts had won the previous two.
