Teams: Women's Tennis: Team Overview

With nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the Tufts University Women's Tennis Team is a force in the New England Region and a major presence on the national college scene. Coach Kate Roiter Bayard looks to continue this momentum as she enters her fifth year as head coach of the Jumbos.

The team has been ranked among the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) national top 16 for the last three years, peaking this fall at #10. That is 17 spots higher than when Bayard took over the reigns as head coach. In the very competitive ITA Northeast Region, which includes two-time defending national champion Williams College, Tufts finished the year ranked fourth. Tufts reached the NCAA team regional finals this year for the 2nd time in the past three years.

Tufts All-Americans Julia Browne and Meghan McCooey were among the top players in the country in Division III for the second straight year. Browne won the ITA Northeast Region singles title in September and then joined McCooey to earn the ITA National Small College Division III doubles championship in Alabama in October. Browne, NESCAC Player of the Year, advanced to the NCAA Singles quarterfinals in the spring and finished the year ranked #7 nationally. The Browne/McCooey doubles tandem also played into the national quarterfinals and ended the year ranked #3 nationally. In 2007-08, McCooey made history by advancing to the semi-finals of the NCAA Singles tournament, which is the farthest any Tufts player has ever advanced. Browne was named New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Rookie of the Year and ITA Regional Rookie of the Year.

Under Bayard's guidance, the Jumbos broke the program record for number of wins in a season (13) in 2006-07. The team has compiled a 44-25 record during her four years for a .638 winning percentage. Tufts players have received seven All-American awards in recent times. Browne and McCooey are now in good company with recent Tufts graduates Jennifer Luten ('07) and Kylyn Deary (07), who both earned All-American honors in their time as Jumbos. Luten, a three-time All-American, finished her senior year ranked 10th nationally in singles, and became the school's all-time victory leader.

Following the '09 season, Coach Bayard was named both ITA Northeast Coach of the Year and NESCAC Coach of the Year . She enters her 14th year as a tennis coach. She has spent approximately half of her college coaching career in Division I and half in Division III. Bayard has coached at Yale, Wellesley and Dartmouth and enters her eighth year as a head college coach. In addition to coaching at the college level, Bayard has coached players of all levels and ages throughout her career. She was Head Pro at Dedham Country and Polo Club prior to starting at Tufts, and brings a wealth of coaching and teaching experience to the Jumbos.

Bayard played her college tennis at Harvard, where she earned First Team All-Ivy honors four times. She was Ivy League Rookie of the Year during the 1992-1993 season while playing #1 singles and #1 doubles for the Crimson. The Harvard team was ranked as high as #15 nationally in Division I and had a win over a top five team during her senior year. Bayard captained the team during her junior and senior years and led them to two Ivy League Championships. Prior to Harvard, Bayard was ranked nationally as high as #3 in doubles and #26 in singles. She also earned Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Association first team Eastern Mass. All-Star honors and All-State soccer honors while playing soccer for Weston High School. Bayard and her husband Jeff reside in Medford.

"I continue to be amazed by how involved and passionate the students are here at Tufts," Bayard said. "I think Tufts offers the best undergraduate experience available. It's certainly the most engaging and supportive environment I've ever been a part of. Within this balanced environment, team members are able to reach their full potential on the court and at the same time receive outstanding individual attention from world class professors. I am looking for players who love being part of a team and are committed to maintaining our phenomenal atmosphere."

As members of the NESCAC, Tufts plays in the nation's most competitive small college conference academically and athletically. The NESCAC is a group of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share an academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. Last season, Tufts was honored as an ITA All-Academic Team, while junior Erica Miller was an ITA Scholar Athlete. Three Jumbos made the NESCAC All-Academic Team.

Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented students, according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished 10th in the 2009 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which awards points based on NCAA performances. The University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a major draw.

The tennis facilities include 12 lighted outdoor hard courts and six indoor courts. The Voute Courts were home to the first three rounds of the NCAA team championship tournament during the 2007 season. The Jumbos play a combination of dual matches and individual tournaments in the fall. The team travels to Florida or California for matches over spring break in preparation for the bulk of their dual matches in the spring. The NESCAC and NCAA tournaments cap the spring season.