Living Up to the Challenge

Coach: Ed Krass

Captains: Christina Dragomirescu and Jamie Henikoff

1988 Records (spring): 15-11 overall, 6-1 Ivy League

1988 Ivy Finish: 1st (tie)

This fall, the Harvard women's tennis team is being given a big challenge.

Despite the loss of graduated seniors Kathy Mulvehal, Kristin Bland and Jackie Farrell and despite the departure of Captain Jamie Henikoff the study in Spain, the Crimson was ranked 25th in the pre-season national poll.

Co-Captain Christina Dragomirescu, senior Niki Rival, junior Amy deLone and sophomore Jennifer Minkus will be the top returning Harvard players who must live up to the squad's bigshot reputation earned after last spring's solid 15-11 season when the Crimson finished tied for first in the Ivy League (6-1).

The Crimson will be playing with all new doubles teams this fall because of the personnel losses, but Harvard Coach Ed Krass is hoping that his players' summer experiences will over-come their unfamiliarity with their doubles partners.

Dragomirescu and Minkus spent their vacations advancing to the doubles semifinals of the National Amateur Women's Championships. Dragomirescu also advanced to the finals of that tournament in the singles bracket.

Abroad this summer, deLone and Minkus played tennis in Italy while Henikoff, playing with Yale's Lynn Rosensratch, earned a bronze medal in doubles at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Krass is hoping that his team is coming off its summer experiences prepared to play competitively, because the season begins September 22 at the Syracuse Invitational.

"The fall is not as much developmental [for the spring season] as I'd like because we have to go right away into tournaments," Krass said. "The Eastern Team Championships in October decide the region's representative to the national tournament. It's an intense fall season--we can get the player's games in shape, but no major adjustments can usually be made."

Krass expects the Crimson's toughest competition to be Virginia, Boston College, Princeton, Dartmouth and William & Mary, featuring Harvard transfer Tonya Stasiuk. At number 22 in the nation, the Indians are the only team in the East ranked higher than Harvard.

Joining the four returning players for the Crimson will be juniors Tricia Small and Debbie Cohen from last year's "B" squad and five freshmen.

The Crimson's new recruits include: Missy Castleman, ranked in the Top 30 in the Midwest; Heather Chulock, ranked in the Top 15 in Florida; Erica Elmuts, listed second in New England and 77th in the United States Junior rankings; Rachel Pollack, a Flight Three finalist in both singles and doubles at the Florida state championships; and Melinda Wong, ranked in the Top 25 in the Midwest.

"It's a nice mix of freshmen and upperclassmen which should develop into wins for us," Krass said.