Racquetmen Smash MIT, Win 9-0, Remain Unbeaten

It was, as number nine Andy Kronfeld said, a "worthless match." Resting four players, including their top three, the Crimson Racquetmen humiliated MIT, 9-0, at Hemenway yesterday, losing only two games in the process.

Freshman Jordy Lemmon moved into the first slot and lost the first two games to Beaver ace Kevin Burns. He then recovered to take the match, 3-2.

"Jordy came back well, after what looked like a disastrous start, against their top player," Harvard coach Dave Fish said after the match.

Chip Robie, Clark Bain, Bob Blake and John Dineen didn't have to worry about comebacks as they trounced their opponents by identical 3-0 scores in slots two through five, respectively. Charlie Duffy, Steve Bakalar, Fraser Black and Kronfeld made the most of their starting opportunities as they completed the whitewash.

"We just trashed them. Incredible," said Blake, who is undefeated this season. "We didn't have four guys, and we trashed 'em. MIT wonks, man," he added.

Fish took this opportunity to rest veterans Mike Desauliniers, George Bell, John Stubbs and Joe Somers. The MIT match, for all intents and purposes, was just a formality; only Dartmouth and Yale stand in the way of a national championship.

"Harvard hasn't won a national six-man intercollegiate title in seven or eight years," Fish said. "If we beat Yale on the 23rd, we'll be number one in the country."

Next Tuesday's match with the Big Green should give the racquetmen little trouble, and Yale has already lost to Harvard victims Penn and Princeton. The undefeated (6-0) Crimson can almost smell a championship now.

"It's been a team effort all year," Bain said. "Princeton was a team win--any five of us could have won. Penn added to our confidence. Yale is the only real hurdle left," he added.