Tennis Team Takes Another, 9-0, In Uniturf Match Against Williams

Harvard's tennis team, rapidly becoming a contender to be reckoned with in the EITA race, crushed Williams, 9-0, on the Ephmans' tricky Uniturf surface Saturday to increase its winning streak to 14 in Northern competition.

Apprehensive about the unfamiliar plastic-rubber surface, Harvard coach Jack Barnaby had had his players drive to Williamstown on Friday so that they might practice on the courts Saturday morning before the match.

But despite the warmup, both of the Crimson's top two singles players experienced serious difficulties with their opponents' serves early in the match, and lost the first set.

"A hard shot makes the ball skid on that surface," Barnaby claims, "and both Bill Washauer and Dave Fish needed time to become accustomed to returning the power serve that the Williams men were using."

But Washauer, once he was consistently able to return Ephman Pike Talbert's service, outplayed him for the remainder of the match at first singles, and took the last two sets, 6-2, 6-1.

Similarly, sophomore Dave Fish, who was aced frequently in the first set by William's Chris Warner at number two, rallied to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and the Crimson was on its way.

Chris Nielsen disposed of Dave Johnson at the third position, 6-2, 6-3, to initiate a string of straight-set Harvard victories, classmate Joe Cavanagh whipped John Blackford at four, 6-3, 6-0, and Cavanagh's roommate, junior Bill Brock, defeated Sewall Corkran, 6-3, 6-0 to clinch the match.

Then, as the doubles competitors began taking the courts, Harvard captain Butch Kawakami, who has become one of the Crimson's most reliable performers, dumped Pete Kinney at six, 6-3, 6-3, to complete the singles sweep.

Things went just as well in the doubles. Washauer and Nielsen picked apart Johnson and Griffin at number one, 6-2, 6-3; Fish and Cavanagh breezed past Talbert and Warner, 6-1, 6-4, at two; and Brock and sophomore Rick Devereux upended Corkran and Bill Lukingbeal at three, 6-4, 6-4, to complete Harvard's second shutout of the season. -J. L. P.