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Teams: Women's Tennis: Team
Overview
 The Tufts University Women's Tennis
Program has built a tradition of
excellence since it began in 1974. The team has won New England
championships and is consistently a top nationally ranked team. Coach
Kate Bayard's 2006-2007 Jumbos broke the program record for number of
wins in a season, and finished the year ranked 15th nationally. The
Jumbos hosted the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament at Voute
Courts. In addition to the team's success, Tufts has produced top
nationally ranked players in both singles and doubles. Jennifer Luten
finished her senior year in 2007 ranked third regionally and 10th
nationally, and set the school record for singles wins in a career.
Luten earned All-American honors twice in singles and once in doubles
with partner Kylyn Deary. Entering her third year at Tufts, Coach
Bayard has eight years of college coaching experience, including four
years at Division I schools and four years at Division III schools. She began her
coaching career in 1996 at Yale, before becoming Head Coach at Wellesley
College and then Head Coach at Dartmouth. Bayard 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. "Tennis players at
Tufts have the opportunity to reach their full potential on the court
and at the same time receive outstanding individual attention from world
class professors in the classroom," she said. "I think Tufts offers the
best college experience available. I am looking for players who are
determined to be their best and are committed to maintaining our
phenomenal team atmosphere." Bayard was a four-time First Team All-Ivy
selection for Harvard. She captained two Ivy League championship teams
for the Crimson and played #1 singles and #1 doubles starting in her
first year. She reached the finals of the Division I Regional ITA
Championships in doubles and the quarterfinals in singles. Prior to
Harvard, Bayard was ranked nationally as high as #26 in singles and #3
in doubles. Bayard and her husband Jeff reside in Medford. Assistant
Coach Chelsea Mills played her college tennis at Division I Bucknell
University, where she was a two-time MVP and captained the team during
her senior year. Luten is also joining the coaching staff this year as a
volunteer assistant. As members of the New England Small College
Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Tufts plays in the nation's most
competitive Division III conference. NESCAC had five out of 11 teams
make the NCAA tournament in 2007. The Jumbos play dual matches in both
the fall and spring seasons. The team travels to Southern California or
Florida for matches over spring break in preparation for the bulk of the
dual matches in the spring. The NESCAC and NCAA tournaments cap the
spring season. Tufts is located five miles from Boston, a world-class
city renowned for its academic institutions. 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
16th in the 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup, the prestigious
award presented annually to the best overall collegiate athletics
programs in the country. The tennis facilities include 12 outdoor hard
courts and six indoor courts.
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