MEDFORD, MA (April 30, 2026) -- The Tufts University women's tennis team will travel to Middlebury College this weekend for the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships, taking on No. 4 seed Amherst College at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning. Tufts will be in search of its first conference title in program history this weekend.
Tournament Details
Tournament Championship Page
Date: Friday, May 1, 2026 - Sunday, May 3
Location: Middlebury, Vt. –
Middlebury Outdoor Courts
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO (Outdoors) -
LIVE VIDEO (Indoors)
A Look At The Jumbos
- The Tufts Jumbos women's tennis finished the season 12–5 overall and 7–3 in NESCAC play, showing strong consistency throughout the spring
- The team posted dominant dual-match numbers with a 73–29 singles record (.716) and 38–13 doubles record (.745)
- Tufts was particularly strong away from home, going 5–1 on the road
- The Jumbos opened the spring with four straight 7–0 sweeps over Vassar, Nichols, Bates, and Endicott
- A key early road stretch included a 7–0 win at Trinity and a 6–1 win at #25 Christopher Newport
- The team added another ranked win with a 6–1 victory over #35 Haverford
- In conference play, Tufts earned a statement 5–2 win over #15 Williams
- Late in the season, the Jumbos built momentum with wins over #42 Colby (6–1) and #12 Bowdoin (5–2)
- Tufts was highly competitive against top teams, including narrow 4–3 losses to #14 Amherst and #14 Washington & Lee
- The team faced elite competition throughout the year, including matches against #3 Wesleyan and #12 Middlebury
- Melanie Woodbury led the team with a 10–5 overall singles record, going 5–2 in conference play
- Kyra McCandless was one of the most efficient players on the roster at 9–2 in dual matches, including dominant results in lower lineup spots
- Ellie Gershaw added a strong 9–4 overall record, contributing consistently in the middle of the lineup
- Natalie Hu went 7–3 overall and 4–1 in conference, providing reliability in key matches
- Rachel Cranley played at the top of the lineup and finished 7–4, often facing the toughest opponents
- Ryan Wuhrman provided depth with a 5–1 dual record, including a four-match win streak
- Overall, the team compiled an 84–37 singles record (.694) with particular strength in the middle and lower courts
- The doubles pairing of Alyssa Khou and Kyra McCandless went a perfect 7–0, emerging as the team's most dominant duo
- Claudia Grove and Melanie Woodbury were the most productive regular pairing at 8–2, anchoring the doubles lineup
- Brooklyn Bindas and Natalie Hu added a strong 6–1 record, giving the team another reliable option
Lineup for the Weekend
Teams are required to set lineups prior to the weekend. Below is the set-up Tufts will take into the weekend.
Look At The Weekend
Compliments of NESCAC.com
No. 1 Wesleyan (15-2, 10-0 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Colby (7-10, 3-7 NESCAC)
- Wesleyan, the 2025 NESCAC Runners-Up, is the top seed for the third time in program history and second time in three years.
- Wesleyan has won 11 straight matches and 15 of its last 16 contests.
- Colby is making its fifth straight appearance in the NESCAC Championship.
- The Mules are the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2023.
- Colby is seeking to advance out of the first round for the first time since the championship moved to its current format in 2006.
- Wesleyan defeated Colby, 6-1, on April 11. The teams will meet in the quarterfinals for the second straight tournament. The Cardinals posted a 4-0 victory last season.
Tiebreaker: Bowdoin and Middlebury finished with identical conference records of 8-2. In head-to-head competition, Bowdoin defeated Middlebury to earn the No. 2 seed.
No. 2 Bowdoin (11-6, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Hamilton (10-7, 4-6 NESCAC)
- The Polar Bears have qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fifth year in a row and the 24th time overall.
- Bowdoin is the No. 2 seed, the highest seed the program has achieved in team history.
- The Polar Bears enter the tournament having won three straight matches and four out of their last five contests.
- Hamilton has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fourth straight season and is the No. 7 seed for the second time in four championships.
- Hamilton's 10 overall wins are the most since the 2018-19 campaign
- Bowdoin posted a 6-1 win over the Continentals on the opening weekend of the spring season. The quarterfinal marks the first time the teams will square off in the NESCAC Tournament.
No. 3 Middlebury (12-5, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Williams (11-7, 5-5 NESCAC)
- Middlebury, the defending NESCAC Champion, is the No. 2 seed for the second time in three tournaments.
- The Panthers are making their 24th appearance in the NESCAC Championships.
- Middlebury has won six of its last seven matches entering the tournament.
- Williams is the No. 6 seed for the second consecutive season and is in the tournament for the fifth year in a row and the 24th time overall.
- Middlebury defeated Williams, 7-0, on April 4. The Ephs own a 7-1advantage in the NESCAC Tournament series. The Panthers won the most recent match, 5-1, in the 2023 semifinal round.
No. 4 Amherst (10-6, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Tufts (12-5, 7-3 NESCAC)
- Amherst is the No. 4 seed for the third time in five tournaments.
- The Mammoths are playing in their 24th NESCAC Championship.
- Amherst has advanced to the semifinals four straight years.
- Tufts is the No. 5 seed for the third consecutive tournament and is also playing in its 24th NESCAC Tournament.
- The Jumbos are looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2022.
- On March 29, Amherst pulled out a 4-3 victory over Tufts and win the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Mammoths improved to 6-2 against the Jumbos in the NESCAC Championship with a 4-3 win in last year's quarterfinals.
--JUMBOS--
