The Massachusetts tennis team will send six players to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional tournament in Dartmouth, N.H. this weekend to compete for a chance to play in the NCAA championships in May.
“I’m thrilled we have a group of players that will compete in qualifying, and main draw rounds,” UMass coach Judy Dixon said Tuesday. “It’s a chance for them to compete with some of the best in the area and to see where they stack up.”
Sophomore Julia Comas, who’s played mostly at the No. 1 in singles, will compete in main draw singles play beginning on Saturday. Comas is coming off singles losses to both Fordham and Rhode Island this fall, but did win her last doubles match against the Rams, playing alongside senior Candynce Boney, who will compete for her last chance to get to the dance in May.
“For [Candynce], this is her last chance,” Dixon said. “She’s always wanted to get to the NCAA’s since she started here. She’s desperately wanted the opportunity to show everyone, everywhere how good she is, and this will be her best shot she’s had since arriving here.”
Boney will compete in both main draw doubles and singles qualifying. The senior has won her last two in-conference singles matches this year, defeating Fordham and URI.
Another doubles main draw pair representing UMass will be senior Kaitlyn Carpenter and sophomore Jocelyn Providence, who together have not dropped a point in their last two matches against in-conference opponents. The duo also reached the Flight B finals at the Eastern Collegiate Invitational late last month.
“I’m very confident they will play well there,” Dixon said. “They have a really solid chemistry on the court together and I expect them to be a handful.”
UMass will send one more doubles pair, with freshman Jessica Podlofsky and Clara Matias teaming up to compete in the qualifying round Friday. The new recruits have made big noise so far in their UMass careers, but now must prove it on the largest stage they’ve seen thus far.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a tough test,” Dixon said. “They’re very talented. They’ve overcome some adversity in match play already since being here, but this is a whole different animal. I’m confident they will do well, but they must be confident in themselves and not become intimidated out there…they must keep their cool against some of the best players around, or they’ll have a tough time.”
Both Podlofsky and Matias have provided the depth at the back end of the lineup this year for UMass. Podlofsky, before claiming victory in doubles matches against Fordham and URI, won the Flight D singles finals at West Point late last month.
“Jess can definitely hold her own out there,” Dixon said. “She’s very tough for a newcomer, and even though she’ll be competing against seasoned veterans, I’m confident that she won’t go down easily.”
Matias, who was tested in singles play right from the start, has also impressed Dixon with her efforts.
“She’s really made some early noise with her tiebreaking points in early sets so far, which tells me she’s a worker, all the way through the match,” Dixon said. “I expect her to compete hard, because it’s a chance for others outside the area to see who you are and how you play.”
For the players competing this weekend, Dixon hopes that it will build confidence for them for the future and will be a valuable learning experience.
“Hopefully for everyone going, whether it’s a senior or a freshman, that all of them come back with a different idea of how others play this game,” Dixon said. “There’s some tough competition out there and the more you learn how to play this game from others that are just as good as you, the more you learn about yourself. That’s important for our success in the future.”
Scott Cournoyer can be reached at [email protected].
