Courtesy Tufts Sports Information

MEDFORD, Mass. - For the first time in the seven straight years that they have earned NCAA Tournament berths, the Tufts University women's tennis team won its second-round match on Saturday, 5-3, over Wellesley College. The victory avenged a 5-4 loss to Wellesley during the regular season.

Tufts will now face NESCAC rival Williams College in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Voute Courts starting at noon. The winner moves on to the national quarter-finals at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia starting on May 15.

The win continued an unprecedented season for the 2006-07 Jumbos, who with a 13-6 record have the most wins in the program's history. Wellesley College, which earned a first-round bye in the NCAA's, finishes its season with a 19-4 record.

Doubles play ended with Tufts holding a 2-1 lead. Wellesley won the top match featuring two of the Northeast's top pairings. Jenna Mezin (Haiku, Hawaii) and Hali Walther (Navarre, Fla.) scored an 8-5 win over Jennifer Luten (Clayton, Mo.) and Kylyn Deary (Jackson, Mich.). The Jumbos were able to gain an edge with Megan McCooey (Cumberland, R.I.) and Andrea Cenko's (St. Louis, Mo.) 8-6 win at #2, and an 8-5 victory by Mari Homma (Eastchester, N.Y.) and Erica Miller (Boca Raton, Fla.) in the third match.

Singles play was similarly close between these nationally-ranked regional rivals. Tufts earned the match by recording the three victories that they needed to take the decision. Luten defeated Mezin on the first singles court easily, 6-1 and 6-2. Deary and Homma both won in straight sets as well, though Deary needed a tie-breaker in the second set at #1 and Homma won the first set at #6 by a 7-5 score.

Wellesley's Jen Schwarzkopf (Hinsdale, Ill.) won 6-3, 6-3 at #2 and Walther was a 6-3, 6-1 winner at #3, but the Jumbos were able to win out prior to the finish of the #4 match.

Doubles
1. Jenna Mezin/Hali Walther (W) def. Jennifer Luten/Kylyn Deary (T) : 8-5
2. Meghan McCooey/Andrea Cenko (T) def. Trish Devine/Jen Schwarzkopf (W) : 8-6
3. Mari Homma/Erica Miller (T) def. Jane Booth-Tobin/Meghan Stubblebine (W) : 8-5

Singles
1. Luten (T) def. Mezin (W) : 6-1, 6-2
2. Schwarzkopf (W) def. McCooey (T) : 6-3, 6-3
3. Walther (W) def. Cenko (T) : 6-3, 6-1
4. Siliva Schmid (T) vs. Devine (W) : 6-3, 4-2 (DNF)
5. Deary (T) def. Stubblebine (W) : 6-2, 7-6 (1)
6. Homma (T) def. Alex Lucas (W) : 7-5, 6-4