Crimson Netmen Almost Upset Stanford

Although the official onset of spring is still a month away, certain harbingers of warmer weather are already signalling the start of Harvard spring sports.

For while most of the Crimson's spring squads have been working out for only a few weeks, the men's tennis team has already gotten a taste of competition--competition of the highest level, at that.

In the opening day of play at the National Indoor Team Championships, held at the Louisville Tennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, Harvard gave Stanford--the top collegiate squad in the country--a scare before falling, 5-4, to the Cardinal.

And although the team as a whole ended up on the losing side of the score, a spectacular Crimson effort produced upsets of two of the top singles players and the top doubles squad in the nation.

Harvard was invited to participate in the tournament, which features 16 top collegiate teams, after winning the ECACs in the fall.

"We came within a hair of having the biggest upset of the year," Crimson Co-Captain Larry Scott said after his team--currently ranked 22nd in the country--came within one service break of knocking off the nationally first-ranked Cardinal.

Super Scott

Scott had a hand in two of the afternoon's biggest victories. In the number one singles slot, the returning All-American (seeded 22nd among collegiate players) defeated Stanford's Dan Goldie, 6-1, 6-4.

Goldie, the nation's first-ranked college player, is ranked 96th in the world professional rankings.

And in the top doubles match Scott and his partner, Arkie Engle, triumphed, 7-6, 2-1 (retired), over the country's number one doubles team of Goldie and Jim Grabb.

Although Crimson Co-Captain Peter Palandjian lost to Cardinal Eric Rosenfeld, 6-2, 6-1, at number two singles, the number three singles match saw yet another Harvard upset.

Junior Bill Stanley pulled off a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Stanford's John Letts--a doubles quarterfinalist at last year's Australian Open.

"Two years ago we came down here and lost [to Stanford], 8-1," Stanley said. "It's a great feeling to know that your top priority is education, when Stanford is able to play outdoors all winter--and then to see that we're in the same league as them. It's a big lift."

Harvard's other victory came in the number six singles slot, where Paul Palandjian defeating Mark Jacobson, 6-4, 7-5.

Coming on the heels of a pair of losses at number four and five singles, Palandjian's win sent the Crimson into doubles competition tied with the Cardinal, 3-3.

While the third doubles squad of Palandjian and Stanley dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision, the second team of Peter Palandjian and Darryl Laddin was caught in a hair-raiser with Stanford's number two duo of Letts and Pat McEnroe (John's brother).

After the Cardinal picked up the first set, 6-3, the Crimson pair rallied back with a 6-1 victory in the second. However, Letts and McEnroe won a key service in the final set to drive to a 6-3 win.

The Stanford victory in second doubles prompted the retirement of the Cardinal's top doubles squad in the midst of the second set of the number one match.

"Freshman year, neither my partner or myself would have thought we'd be in a third set with the best team in the country," Peter Palandjian said. "But we have no intention of being fat cats--we want to go out after Brigham Young tomorrow."

The Crimson faces the Cougars this morning, in the hopes of earning a spot in tomorrow's final day of competition.

"The main thrust of our season is obviously the Ivy League season," Scott said, "but this is a bonus. These are the best college players in the country. Coming here, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain."