The fourth-ranked Amherst women’s tennis team went 2-1 on its road trip to Maine with wins over seventh-ranked Bowdoin and Bates but a loss to second-ranked Emory. The Jeffs now sport a 10-3 dual match record on the year.
In Amherst’s NESCAC oponer against Bowdoin, the Jeffs fell behind 1-2 after doubles despite an 8-3 victory in the top doubles court by seniors Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin. Polar Bear team of Kate Winningham and Samantha Stalder bested Amherst seniors Jen Newman and Zoe Pangalos 8-3 in the No. 2 court, and Pilar Giffenig and Tiffany Cheng topped Safi Aly ’15 and Sarah Monteagudo ’16 in the No. 3 court.
The Jeffs righted the ship in singles, winning five of the six matches. Brewer won 6-3, 6-4, and Devlin battled Winningham in a three-set match, eventually prevailing 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Newman fell 7-5, 6-1 in what would be the Polar Bears’ only singles triumph. Sue Ghosh ’16, Pangalos and Monteagudo all won comfortably to round out singles and give Amherst the 6-3 win.
Saturday morning, Amherst lost 8-1 to Emory, the team that had eliminated them in the NCAA tournament last spring. The Jeffs were swept in doubles matches, starting with an unusual 8-2 defeat for Devlin and Brewer in the top spot. Amherst’s No. 2 and 3 doubles teams managed to keep it closer, but Newman and Pangalos eventually fell 8-6, as did Aly and Monteagudo.
The singles courts were not much better for the Jeffs. Ghosh recorded the only win for the Jeffs in the fourth court, cruising past first-year Melissa Goodman 6-1, 6-1.
“I was able to stay really, really focused and pumped throughout the whole match. I knew that was key for me in order to come out with a win. I just trusted my game and let everything else fall into place,” Ghosh remarked on the victory.
The Jeffs traveled to Bates Saturday afternoon for their final match of the weekend, and they put together a comfortable 9-0 sweep of their hosts. Brewer and Devlin shut out Bates’ top doubles pair 8-0. Newman and Pangalos did the same to their opponents, while Aly and Monteagudo dropped just one game on the No. 3 court. In singles, the Jeffs who didn’t lose a set all afternoon. Brewer got the afternoon off from singles, so Devlin was at the top of the order, winning 6-1, 6-1. Newman, Ghosh and Monteagudo had similar success in the two through four spots, respectively. At the bottom of the ladder, first-years Megan Adamo and Claire Carpenter made their collegiate singles debuts, and both won in straight sets.
On Tuesday, the Jeffs swept Tufts 9-0 for their seventh sweep of the season. Amherst will host five NESCAC opponents this weekend, as Conn. College visits on Friday, followed by Wesleyan, Hamilton and top-ranked Williams on Saturday.
“Williams is definitely going to be one of the biggest matches of the season for us, as always. I’m sure it’s going to be an extremely exciting environment filled with really competitive tennis. Even though it’s Tom Jones, I think everyone should come support us,” Ghosh remarked.
