Youthful Netwomen Prepare for Grueling Season

Despite the loss of 1978 New England Champion Betsy Richmond to an academic year off, this should be a winning season for Harvard's women's tennis squad. Bolstered by a fine array of underclassmen, Coach Peter Felske's team should improve upon last year's mark and challenge for the Ivy League crown.

The squad's success could hinge on the play of Tiina Bougas. The freshman sensation, who captured this year's New England Women's Intercollegiate Championship in the fall, will be called up on to lead her teammates against Ivy League powers Yale and Princeton.

The team will have to reverse last year's drubbings at the hands of the Elis and the Tigers if they want to compete for the coveted championship trophy, Felske said.

Like Bougas, the remainder of the netwomen will possess a youthful show. Second singles will be handled by junior Martha Roberts, while junior captain Meg Meyer will aid the team from the fourth spot. Leslie Miller, Kristin Mertz and Patty Vitale are each vieing for the 5th and 6th places.

The doubles crew will be paced by Bougas and Roberts in the first position, with Meyer and Vitale in the second slot and Mertz and Abby Meiselman backing them up from the third spot.

The relative inexperience of the team was apparent during their recent spring western trip. Unable to defeat national powers Pepperdine, Washington, California Tech and California State at Long Beach, the squad returned home with a 2-4 record, chalking up victories against the players of Redlands and Occidental Colleges.

This year's spring schedule starts this afternoon at 3 p.m. with a key match against archrival Boston University at Soldiers Field.

With the bragging rights to the city of Boston at stake and the Terriers posing as the first area competition this match will be the first test of a promising squad.

WOMEN'S TENNIS SPRING SCHEDULE

APRIL

Tue. 8 BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Sat. 12 PENNSYLVANIA

Mon. 14 DARTMOUTH

Wed. 16 BOSTON COLLEGE

Sat. 19 at Yale

Wed. 23 BROWN

Sat. 26 (Harvard hosts and Sun. 27 Ivy Championships)

MAY

Sat. 3 PRINCETON

Thu. 15 (EAIAW Championships thru Mon. 19 at Penn State)