MEDFORD, MA (April 25, 2023) -- The Tufts University women's tennis team has its sights set on the 2023 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships this weekend, hosted at Williams College.
Championship Details:
2023 NESCAC Women's Tennis Championships
Dates: Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30
Location: Williamstown, MA – Torrence M. Hunt '44 Tournament Courts (Directions)
Coverage: TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
The Jumbos come into this weekend with an 8-8 record and 7-3 NESCAC record on the year, including winning six of their last seven NESCAC matches. Tufts enters the NESCAC tournament as the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 5 seed Williams College at 9:00 a.m. on Friday April 28.
In the most recent ITA rankings, Tufts was ranked as No. 10 with Williams being ranked right below them at No. 11. Earlier this season, the Jumbos defeated the Ephs 7-2 on March 12 in Medford. In that match, Tufts won five of six singles matches along with two of the doubles matches. Tufts is 0-4 in the NESCAC Tournament against Williams with the teams last meeting in the 2018 NESCAC semifinals.
The Jumbos have a deep and talented roster that will have the ability to make a deep run in the NESCAC Tournament. The depth of the team is showcased by their winning percentage of nearly .662 at the No. 3 through No. 6 positions this season. Zoe Kava has been big for the Jumbos this season with her team leading record of 15-2 including undefeated at both the No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Kava is 9-0 against NESCAC opponents and is 9-1 in her last 10 matches overall. Behind her with a 10-5 record is Madeline Suk who has a 5-2 record at the No. 5 position.
First-Year Lucy Mitchell is having a strong first season for the Jumbos as she has a 9-4 record this year including 7-3 at the No. 3 position. Both Rachel Cranley and Sophie Wax have been rocks at the top of this Tufts lineups with Casey Cummings at the No. 6 position going 2-1 against NESCAC opponents.
On the doubles side, Tufts has been dominant at both the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions as they have an over .700 winning percentage. Kava and Wax have teamed up to form the No. 2 doubles team and have an 11-5 record along with a 7-1 conference record. Stephanie Woodbury and Mitchell have formed the No. 3 doubles team and are 2-1 in conference play with a 4-2 record overall. Cranley and Suk have battled at the No. 1 doubles teams with a 2-2 conference record.
The first-round opponent for the Jumbos, Williams College, is the fifth seed for the first time since 2019. They have the most NESCAC titles of any conference member with 10 and their last came in 2018. The Ephs have an 11-5 overall record and 7-3 NESCAC record. Since both teams had identical conference records, Tufts won the tiebreaker over Williams because of their head-to-head victory.
In other NESCAC Tournament action, the No. 1 seed Middlebury College will take on No. 8 seed Colby College at Middlebury at 9:00 a.m. The No. 3 seed Amherst College will also travel to Middlebury for their NESCAC Tournament quarterfinal matchup with the No. 6 seed Bowdoin. That match will start at 11:30 a.m. Along with the Tufts and Williams matchup, the No. 2 seed Wesleyan College will square off with No. 7 seed Hamilton College at Williams at 9:00 a.m.
The semifinals for the NESCAC Tournament will take place at Williams College on Saturday, April 29 as the winner in the Tufts/Williams match will take on the winner between Middlebury/Colby at 9:00 a.m. The other semifinal match will start at 9:00 a.m. as well and will feature the winner of Wesleyan/Hamilton taking on the winner of Amherst/Bowdoin. The finals are set for Sunday, April 30 at 9:00 a.m.
--JUMBOS--
