TUES., OCT. 1 • ENTRY NO. 5

I have a confession to make: I didn't do my homework last week. I was lazy and decided that procrastination was a great option because it's fine I was going to have time over the weekend! I didn't. So I have spent the last two evenings desperately cramming all of my homework into a far too short amount of time. I did manage to finish it though so it's ok, I haven't flunked out of the team and school so you shall still be able to have the pleasure of reading "Behind the Masses." So, my apologies for such a late post.

Now, let's get down to business shall we? Saturday started off wonderfully. I was woken from my slumber by the chirping of birds outside and the smell of coffee wafting through the room. It was a late 9:00 a.m. wake up call for us that morning which I don't think any of us had complaints about. Breakfast was also a relaxed affair, with each of us finding our way downstairs in our own time and picking a filling dish to start our day off right. All of us except Shiran Arol Wiegand that is; the poor girl elected for avocado toast and was left disappointed by the sad excuse for a meal that was placed before her. She still hasn't learnt about the confusing variety of portion sizes that America has to offer, but it's ok we'll teach her and ensure she doesn't starve.

Once breakfast was over, we headed to the courts and began our pre-match warm-up. The sun was glaring down on us once again and it was worryingly warm (I learned my lesson from Brown though and put suncream on so no burnt shoulders here!). Our first opposition was Coach Nunez's old program, Brown University, a team that we are always eager to defeat. Marching out onto the courts as the clock struck 1:00 p.m., we were ready for war. As the matches began, noise immediately erupted from each court as the competitive nature of both teams was shown in full force. The pairs were evenly matched on all courts, every player holding serve, until suddenly a momentum shift occurred: Anna and I were at 2-2 40-40 on Ryan Peus' serve and knew the importance of the next point. I took the deuce point, with Anna's backing and fired a backhand winner down the line, passing Julia Newman. Both of us unleashed a fierce roar, knowing that we had landed the first blow. Our next game saw us only inflict more wounds, coming back from 0-40 to claim the game and eventually the match 6-3.

Next to finish were Jovana Bogicevic and Shiran, who bested an interesting combination from Brown and Dartmouth. During their match, they overcame much adversity and were forced to outsmart their crafty opponents who utilised the line ball very well. Their win at No. 4 only increased the confidence that had been growing throughout the courts that we could finally, after many years of trying, claim the doubles point against Brown. We had a slight setback at No. 3 where Ashley Avery and Jasmin Tripathy's opposition proved too good on the day, so all our hopes were with Martina Bocchi and Janja Kovacevic.

A fantastic show of bravery allowed the duo to steal a break of serve from Devon Jack, moving them to 5-3. Janja was left to serve it out but was simply outplayed by the Brown pairing who found another gear to switch into as they were desperate to stay in the match. A third consecutive break of serve was now needed to claim victory and it was going to be a tough ask whilst playing against the wind and facing the prowess of Courtney Kowalsky's serve and volley combo. Our girls stayed strong and brought it to a sudden death deuce point, with Janja taking the return; even though she didn't have the confidence in herself, Martina believed in her which is one of the reasons these two are such such a perfect pairing. Steeling herself, Janja launched a return to the baseline, forcing Kowalsky back and to push a backhand long, handing UMass the doubles point. Relief and joy flooded everyone's faces as we celebrated but quickly regrouped to prepare for singles.

Our next clash was against another Ivy League foe: Dartmouth. Last season, we had claimed our first victory against them since 2006 and so they were certainly thirsty for blood this time. Mixing up their playing order as to give us all new opponents to play, we had a tough time trying to fend them off. The bottom of the line up performed admirably, taking their respective opponents into a third set on every court. Unfortunately, only two were able to pull through for the win. Shiran claimed her second victory of the day against Dartmouth's Catherine Cable in a gritty three setter where she was forced to save a match point and finally secure the win in a breaker. It was a closely fought contest and both girls should be applauded for the level of tennis that they produced.

The other win came from Ashley, who managed to upset Jingyi Peng 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 in an incredible show of resilience. Utilising her penetrating backhand and offensive netplay, Ashley managed to fend off the brutal attacks that Peng can produce from her forehand corner and kept her on the back foot. The intense tennis on this court was amazing to watch and Ashley truly proved to herself what we as her teammates already knew: she is an incredibly talented singles player as well as doubles who is a force to be reckoned with when she believes in herself. Shaking and close to tears as victory went her way, Ashley was finally able to catch a glimpse of her capabilities and I truly hope that she sustains this confidence in her tennis.

Even though all other three setters were lost, it is important to commend Anna, who handled a tricky opponent well; Jasmin, who took Dartmouth's No. 2 from out clash last year to a decider; Jo, who took Dartmouth's regular No. 1 player to three sets. As usual, Jo was the last match to finish and produced a thrilling match to witness.

Moving onto Sunday, the entire team was feeling a little more lethargic than we would have liked. It had felt like a long weekend out in the sun and being forced to get up for a 7:00 a.m. breakfast did not help matters. We were to begin with singles first against Denver which was a great opportunity to play a team from a different region. Starting the day off with success, Janja and Anna both claimed convincing victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. The pressure that they placed on their opponents was unyielding and they barely gave them room to breathe, let alone get into the match. On the other courts, we did not fare so well, but Shiran and I did manage to push our matches into a deciding set. The fight from our entire team was evident throughout the day and we felt desperate for success moving into doubles so to end our weekend on a high.

In doubles, we came face-to-face with Dartmouth once again (I feel like we've only played them all year, can't get rid of them…). All of the matches were incredibly tight and some immaculate doubles was on display. Huge degrees of variety could be seen on all three courts as both teams attempted to claim the net as their own and dominate the match.

Jasmin and Ashley put forth a strong effort but ultimately fell to Dartmouth's third pair who were just too consistent on the day. At the No. 1 spot, Janja and Martina appeared to be cruising as they led 5-2, whilst Anna and I trailed 5-4, struggling to handle the immense pace that Nicole Conard produced. However, the tides quickly switched on both courts as Dartmouth's top duo fought back to 5-4, whilst Anna and I held serve to level the match at 5-5. Janja and Martina managed to hold their nerve and scramble around the court, desperate to win every possible point. Their grit was rewarded with a match point which they immediately claimed, leaving only Anna and I remaining. As our top pair emerged victorious, we succeeded in breaking serve to go 6-5 up. It was up to Anna to serve it out or we would be forced into a dreaded tiebreaker. The game went to deuce as our opponents fought back. It was sudden death deuce. Match point. We did not win the match point. As the tiebreaker began we knew that we couldn't dwell on the past and must maintain our focus so to stay ahead in this decider. Our positive attitude and stubbornness proved the crucial factor as we claimed a 7-3 victory and the doubles point for our team. It was an exhilarating end to an important weekend where each of us grew as tennis players.

Now, you may think that this was our end to the Yale Invitational but you would be wrong. Some incredibly exciting news was revealed to the team, revolutionary for the programme. I can't wait to share it with you, but you'll have to check back tomorrow...

- Jodie Annie Lawrence-Taylor, sophomore, UMass tennis

Scoreboard

Behind The Masses • UMass Tennis Blog • Entry #5

TUES., OCT. 1 • ENTRY NO. 5

Players Mentioned

Ashley Avery

Martina Bocchi

Jovana Bogicevic

Janja Kovacevic

Jasmin Tripathy

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

Behind The Masses • UMass Tennis Blog • Entry #5

TUES., OCT. 1 • ENTRY NO. 5

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Avery

Martina Bocchi

Jovana Bogicevic

Janja Kovacevic

Jasmin Tripathy

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