In a rematch of last season’s NCAA championship match, the women’s tennis team began their 2011 fall campaign by hosting Williams last Saturday evening.
For both teams, the contest was their first taste of action since the Ephs edged out the Jeffs 5-4 to win the NCAA title in May.
Much has changed, however, for the Jeffs since then, as they lost six seniors this offseason, and come into the year looking for younger players to fill that void.
Last weekend, the men’s golf team opened its 2011 fall season at the Trinity College Invitational. Held at the Tallwood and Blackledge country clubs, the tournament represented the first test for the Jeffs since their impressive 2010-2011 season.
Last year, the team qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the first time in team history, and although the Jeffs lost two seniors from that team, they return eight players and have high expectations for this season.
The 13th-ranked women’s golf team put up a fine showing at the 2011 Jack Leaman Women’s Golf Championship, which was played out at the Hickory Ridge Country Club last weekend. The two-time defending champions of the event shot a two-day total of 667 to finish second and continue building momentum in what is becoming a strong spring season. Only Methodist University (651), the top-ranked team in the nation, outperformed the Jeffs, who upset No. 3-ranked Williams (677).
Women
The women’s tennis team protected its perfect NESCAC record and No. 1 ranking with two victories over high-quality competition this past weekend. After losing their top spot in the ITA’s national rankings at the end of March, the Jeffs’ strong play over the past two weeks re-earned them their No. 1 ranking, but also provided their opponents, Colby and Williams, with an incentive to play spoiler. Yet the Jeffs handily dealt with both teams, dismissing Colby 7-2 on Saturday before defeating their archrivals by the same score the following afternoon.
