Stick, Racquet Wielders Head for Mason-Dixon

Munching tentatively on a creation called a "blasphemous bagel" at the Leverett House grill the other night, the Crimson tennis team's senior captain and number-one player Tood Lundy was asked if he thought Harvard could win many matches on its tough spring break schedule.

"Oh," Lundy said matter-of-factly, and only partly kidding, "we're going to win all of them." Now that, friends, is positively blasphemous.

Not that Lundy is necessarily wrong--Harvard sports one of its best tennis teams in years this season, in large part due to coach Dave Fish's year-round practice sessions--but the schedule looks awfully tough.

Down South

First comes the Crimson Tide Classic, tomorrow through Sunday, where nationally-ranked host squad Alabama leads a strong field. And as the Crimson troops continue their march up the Atlantic coast, they will also face Georgia (11th in the nation), Georgia Tech, Furman (who shellacked Harvard last spring), Duke (18th in the nation) and Wake Forest.

"We're a good team, better than last year." Fish said earlier this week before the team left. "On the trip, you're just trying to get a lot of matches under your belt. The results will depend on how fast we adjust to playing outdoors on different surfaces."

The key part of the season comes after the trip, when the racquetmen return to Cambridge and gear up for the Eastern League schedule, which begins April 7. Last year's squad went 1-3 against Southern teams, but nabbed league opponent Navy, 6-3, on the return leg and went on to finish 7-2 in the league, to tie for second behind league champ Princeton.

Gone from that team are captain Dan Waldman--one of the great names in Harvard tennis history--then-freshman Dan Gerken, and Falstaffian doubles player Cliff Adler.

But some big guns return. Lundy, known as "The Doctor" for his steady surgical brand of play, and for his long hours of work, will play at number-one after three years at the two spot. Smiling Texan guitar-picker Scott Walker moves up from three to two, while Don Pompan, a freshman whiz from Southern California, has jumped into the three spot.

Junior veterans Andy Chaikovsky and Kevin Shaw have nailed down the four and five slots, and sophomore Greg Kirsch will break into the varsity lineup for the first time at six.

"I have a lot of confidence in our top five," Fish said, adding "They can play with anyone."

The really rough play begins after the southern whistle-stop, when the Crimson will duke it out with national powers Princeton and Yale, and a couple of darkhorses, possibly Columbia, for the Eastern crown.

Until then, the squad will enjoy the southern sun, work themselves into shape, and maybe commit a little blasphemy by knocking off some of the Dixie titans.