Kunichika Wins Title at Unofficial Net Tourney

A year ago yesterday, the Harvard women's tennis team left New Haven as New England Champions. The victory trophy sits in Coach Don Usher's office.

Yesterday, the netwomen left New Haven, victorious in one of the New England Championships' five divisions and runners-up in two others, but this time without a trophy.

In fact, none of the twelve teams competing in the final women's fall tournament took home a trophy because of a vote taken late last week. Yale Coach Steve Wallinger cast the only vote against keeping the New England Championships a team championship tournament, this turning it into an individual event.

"I don't even know if we were the 'unofficial' champions, but I wasn't going to hang around to find out," an upset Usher said yesterday.

Burnt Up

"I'm also really burnt up about the way the thing was handled," he added, explaining that he had been under the impression he was going to New Haven to play in a team tournament.

"I got lied to about what was going to happen," he said. "I'm chairman of the tournament next year, and if we have to hold it at Harvard there will be a championship tournament. There will be no repeat of this year's fiasco."

In the 'unofficial' tournament, sophomore Tracy Kunichika posted Harvard's only victory. Harvard's fifth-seed, Kunichika defeated Anne Derzon of Dartmouth, in the 'C' division finals. She also upset her division's fourth seed, Robin Fishman of Yale, 6-2, 6-2, in the semifinals.

In the tournament's 'B' division, Harvard's Erika Schulman lost in the finals to Yale's Kate Gressers, 6-3, 6-3. "I played well," Schulman said of the final. "She just played really well, especially at the net."

Schulman, the Crimson's third-seed, defeated Bonnie Barber of B. U., 6-1, 6-4, in the quarterfinals and the tournament's second-seed, Pam Wolf of Yale, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the semis. Schulman rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third set against Wolf to gain the final.

Harvard's top seed, Elizabeth Evans, combined with Schulman as the Crimson's only other team to get to a final. Competing in the 'A' doubles division, Schulman and Evans bowed in straight sets to Yale's Connie Yowell and Gressers, 6-2, 6-0.

"The major problem was that we weren't really that psyched up. Because it didn't count for anything, no one was thrilled to be there," said Evans, who lost in the semis of the 'A' singles division.

Usher echoed Evans' words. "There's a natural disappointment when you're not playing for anything. Had they been keeping score, I know we'd have done better."