Netmen Reunite to Tame Tigers, 8-1; Win Will Probably Clinch Ivy Title

For the first time since its victory over Dartmouth nearly a month ago, the Harvard men's tennis team is back together again, and the feeling suits the team just fine. Yesterday the squad downed the Tigers at Princeton, 8-1, perhaps securing the Ivy title. The second half of the road trip, a match against Cornell, will make the matter certain.

"I think we've pulled it all together," Harvard Coach Dave Fish said yesterday. "It's the first time we've felt like a whole team."

The contest against the Tigers proved to be the squad's second peak of the season, the first came against Yale, when the Crimson swept doubles, after splitting all its singles matches. The senior Captain Adam Beren was out of the singles lineup.

He returned, but first seed Howard Sands was out resting an ankle injury. But against the Tigers, everyone was healthy, showing unbelievable strength by winning five three-set matches. The only team casualty was second seed Warren Grossman, who took on Tiger Mike Bodden, a player he has never been able to beat.

Sands spent most of the week out, without practicing, but managed to beat Princeton's Ted Farnsworth, who is ranked third in the nation, five spots ahead of Sands. To win, Sands had to produce an earth-shattering display of determination.

He had won the first set, 6-2, but in the second set. Sands began to tire, and his game slipped Farnsworth seized the momentum and in a tie-breaker, Farnsworth whipped Sands, 7-0, to take the set, 7-6. Then, even after going down, 4-1 in the third, Sands stayed in the match. Playing beautifully and attacking strongly at the net, Sands began taking the match away. It was Sands who took the tie-breaker point of the third set, winning, 7-6.

"He just didn't want to lose." Fish said of the comeback effort.

But Sands's efforts pale in comparison to those of the team as a whole. The rest of the lineup also had to battle back from first- or second-set losses to take their matches. At Princeton's courts, with nearly 100 vocal fans, the team showed a toughness Fish finds commendable.

Play from Beren, Dave Backman and Rob Loud highlighted the contest. Beckman toppled a player who had beaten Grossman last year when Beckman was playing two spots below his present third slotting. After returning to the lineup in the sixth spot only two matches ago, Beren also handled his ferocious Tiger easily Fish said of Loud, "he's making some major strides and working very hard, becoming a much tougher competitor."

Princeton defaulted its second doubles contest and Harvard shifted its lineup to give the first pair of Sands and Larry Scott a rest Beckman and Beren won third singles and Grossman and Loud did just as well.

Today's match against Cornell should prove to be a challenging one for the Crimson--especially for Sands, who will face highly touted Dave Meritt--though the squad lacks Harvard's depth. A win will clinch the Ivy title.

THE NOTEBOOK: The squad's next home match is 2 p.m. Tuesday against a perennial top-ten Clemson squad... Sands will probably play today against Cornell, even though he is still not 100 percent... Bids to the NCAA today will be delivered next week.

Harvard 8, Princeton 1

Singles

1. Howard Sand (H) d. Ted Farnsworth 6-2. 6-7, 7-6; 2 Mike Bodden (P) d. Warren Grossman 7-6, 6-2; 3, Dave Beckman (H) d. Talbott Davis 6-7,6-3,6-4;4, Adam Beren (H) d. Ken Katz 6-2, 6-1, 7-5; 6. Larry Scott (H) d. Mark Ozer 7-6, 1-6, 6-4.

Doubles

1. W. Grossman-R. Loud (H) d. M. Bodden-D, Gerken 6-4, 6-4, 2. (P) default; 3. D. Beckman-A. Beren (H) d. T. DavisMatt Pendo 7-6, 6-4.