Crimson Netmen Overwhelm Lions, 7-2, But Sands Stumbles Again, 7-6, 6-1

NEW YORK-The Harvard men's tennis team brought its show to Broadway yesterday, outrallying Columbia, 7-2, to remain un-defeated in Easter Intercollegiate Tennis Association play.

The victory lifts the Crimson record to 8-7 overall, 2-0 in association contests. Harvard travels to Philadelphia to take on Penn today.

In singles action, Harvard managed to eke out a 4-2 advantage over a resilient Lion squad. But what has become a disturbing trend this year continued, as junior All-American Howard Sands lost for the fifth time this year. Harvard's first seed fell, 7-6, 6-1 to senior Andy Caulfield, a Sydney, Australia native.

Sands-defeated only once last spring managed only a 3-3 tally on the netmen's trip to California last month. Last weekend, Clemson's Mark Dixon also downed Sands.

"He [Sands] has been sick," Harvard Coach Dave Fish explained yesterday, "and he's taken a little more time to get over it than we expected," Sands has slowed down, and "he's going to have to start coming on strong to make up for it, "Fish added

Scheduling may be a factor in Sands decreased success, as the Crimson has faced tougher teams than it did last year, and top seed Sands has had to battle some of the country's best collegians.

Despite Sand's recent slipping, Columbia's Caulfield savored his upset win. "Howard's ranked nationally, "Caulfield said, "so I guess you could call this my biggest win ever."

Harvard's second-seeded netman, Adam Beren, easily controlled senior Jim Rubin's highly refined topspin. For most of the match, Beren placed the ball wherever he wanted, and he rolled to an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Warren Grossman overcame spotty first-set play to later dominate the court. Harvard's I third-ranked racquetman scored a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the Lions' Evan Ratner.

Senior Alex Seaver game Columbia's Gary Jacobs a one-set head start, but Harvard's fourth seed rebounded to nab the match, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Highly touted Crimson freshman Dave Beckman--who has consistently performed well since rising to a permanent position on the varsity--outclassed his opponent. Masao Inouye, 6-3, 6-3.

Fifth-ranked Rob Loud bowed to Lion Art Martella, 6-4, 7-5.

Harvard's three doubles combinations-Sands and Beren, Grossman and Loud, and Beckman and Rob wheeler-all handed Columbia straight-set defeats. The strong showings may silence growing concerns about the Crimson's doubles depth.