Netwomen Nab Ivy Title Again

Playing in its most important match of the spring season, the Harvard women's tennis team captured its fifth straight Ivy League title by defeating Princeton, 7-2, Wednesday at Palmer Dixon Courts.

The win, which gave rookie Coach Ed Krass his first Ancient Eight championship, earned the Crimson a chance to participate in the NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday at UCLA. Harvard--seeded 16th in the tournament--will play the University of Florida, the top tennis squad in the nation.

"It was the best match," Krass said, "as far the amount of concentration they put into the match. The team rose to the occasion just like they have been doing all season."

Since the match was played in the indoor courts of Palmer Dixon--which has only three courts as opposed to the eight outdoors courts of Palmer Dixon--because of bad weather conditions, the Crimson only had to win the first five out of six individual matches to clinch the title.

So after the netwomen took an early 4-1 advantage, it was sophomore Kristin Bland's singles victory that sealed the title for Harvard, which finished the Ivy League season with a sparkling 7-0 mark (12-5 overall). It was Harvard's ninth consecutive win of the spring season, made all the more impressive by the fact that the Tigers had also come into the match undefeated in Ivy play and gunning for league honors.

Bland, down 4-5 in the second set to Princeton's Hareena Meghani after taking the first set, 6-2, came back and eventually won the tiebreaker, 7-5, on a volley return that Meghani hit out.

"I was really relaxed," Bland said. "I played the ball really well. I had confidence in the team which seems to affect me in my singles match."

Seniors Robin Boss and Kathy Vigna, who have been on four championship teams, took both their singles and doubles matches in their final home match of their collegiate careers.

The duo of Vigna and Cyndi Austrian closed out their doubles victory, 6-3, 6-3, against the tandem of Meghani and Sue Palminteri on one of the best plays of the day. With the Princeton duo attacking at the net, Vigna recovered with an impressive defensive lob. Meghani returned the ball, but Austrian ended the match on a hard crosscourt forehand winner.

In her singles match, Vigna, down 1-4 in the tiebreaker of the second set against Hilary Shane, eventually won 10-8 to grab a straight set win.

Boss, along with Bland, her partner, played one of her better doubles matches of the year against Shane and Diana Gardner. Boss's serves handcuffed the Tiger duo, while Bland scored with several winning volleys, on the way to a 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

"I couldn't have asked for a better last Harvard home match," Boss said.

Other impressive singles victories for the Crimson came from freshman Christina Dragomirescu--a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Tanya Stasiuk--and sophomore Kathy Mulvehal, who won 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 against Lisa Nyman.

"All I can say," Krass said, "that the team wanted to prove they were the best. As for the NCAA's, we'll have to let the dice roll."

THE NOTEBOOK: The victory extended the Crimson's consecutive Ivy League winning streak to 27...Since 1983, Harvard has posted an unequalled 31-1 record...This is the Crimson's fourth consecutive unbeaten league season...In 1982, the last year the netwomen did not win the title, Harvard finished third in the Ivy League with a 9-8 overall record...During its nine-game winning steak, the Crimson has won 69 individual matches and lost only 12.