No. 16 men’s tennis (8-3, 5-1 NESCAC) fell 7-0 to the No. 2 Tufts Jumbos (15-2, 6-0 NESCAC) in windy conditions at home on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, the Ephs flipped the script, delivering a dominant 7-0 sweep of the Trinity Bantams (4-9, 1-5 NESCAC), a turnaround that reflected both resilience and renewed momentum.
Saturday’s matchup was significantly impacted by challenging weather conditions that made ball trajectory unpredictable, according to Bobby Cooper ’28. “It [was] probably the windiest conditions I’ve ever played in,” he said. “So, the game [was] definitely very different. The serves matter a lot less, especially when it’s windy.”
Tufts’ depth contributed to the intensity of the match environment, with the Jumbos’ large roster contributing constant energy from the sidelines. “There are only six players that play,” Cooper said. “The rest of [Tufts’ players] were cheering. You definitely [could] feel the extra pressure.”
Jack Ling ’28 said the home crowd helped offset some of that sideline energy imbalance. “It’s always good to see your friends out there supporting,” he said. “It also helps because we only have two guys cheering [on the sideline] … and Tufts has like 15-20 people.”
The Ephs struggled to settle in early against Tufts, dropping all three doubles matches and handing the Jumbos an early advantage. “I think [on Saturday], something that was lacking was we didn’t really feel as connected as we should have been,” Ling said.
In singles, Cooper had a particularly tough matchup against a player whose discipline and consistency proved difficult to disrupt. “I felt like he was very clear on his game plan, [hitting] a thousand balls,” he said. “[The Tufts players] were just kind of tougher, louder.”
Even after the competition had tilted decisively in Tufts’ favor, captains Nicholas Chen ’26 and Simon Volkema ’26 put up strong singles performances, despite their eventual losses. Both matches lasted longer than two hours, and Volkema pushed both his sets to a tiebreak before losing 4-7 and 5-7 in the deciding points.
Although the Ephs have historically fared well against the Bantams, with a 16-match winning streak entering Sunday’s matchup, the team remained vigilant. “It is really important to not overlook any opponent and do our jobs right,” Ling said.
The Ephs emphasized improving cohesion and team spirit as they came off of Saturday’s loss. “[On Sunday], we really tried to play with each other,” Ling said.
The course-correction paid off. The Ephs started the day by sweeping their three doubles matches by identical 6-3 scores, each in just over 30 minutes. Taking home all the opening points, the team carried the momentum into singles. They quickly emerged victorious in each of those matches as well, as no one came close to dropping a single set. “Everyone won really quickly,” Ling said. “I credit that to the changes we’ve made since [Saturday].”
Ling highlighted Will Luke ’29, who delivered an especially dominant performance, winning the Ephs their first singles point of the day. “Will Luke won 6-0, 6-0 in what felt like 30 minutes,” he said.
Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, the Ephs aim to carry lessons from both of the weekend’s matches. “The entire season has been a process of continually building on each match,” Ling said. “Win or lose, we always want to improve.”
The Ephs next face the No. 44 Hamilton Continentals (7-6, 1-5 NESCAC) this upcoming Saturday and the No. 20 Amherst Mammoths (8-4, 5-2 NESCAC) on Sunday, as they continue their push toward the postseason.
