Cornell, Army Prove No Match for Netmen

Eastern cellar-dwellers Cornell and Army marched into Beren Tennis Center this weekend intent on over throwing the ailing 13th-ranked Harvard men's tennis team.

Instead, the Red and Cadets goose-stepped into a firing squad, as the Crimson (9-0 EITA) gunned down both opponents by 9-0 margins, breezing to straight-set wins in every match.

"I was just pleased because the guys turned what could've become a sloppy event into a good tune-up for Princeton," Harvard Coach Dave Fish said, referring to tomorrow's Ivy-deciding match against the undefeated Tigers. "[Harvard] maintained an extremely high intensity level in every point."

Friday's match against Army provided the needed rest for the crippled Crimson, performing without 14th-ranked Mike Shyjan in singles.

Captain Mark Leschly filled in for shoulder-impaired Shyjan to lambast Cadet Jamie Malekoff, 6-3,6-4, in first singles action.

Mike Zimmerman then bumped off Mark McMullain in second singles, sacrificing just three games in a straight-set slamming.

With his squad leading by a 2-0 score, Harvard's Derek Brown moved up from fifth to third singles to break Army's Mark Haight, 7-6,6-2.

Albert Chang kept the slaughter alive in fourth singles, as he walloped Chris Waters, 6-3,6-2, to put the Crimson one point from clinching the match.

John Tolmie tallied a fifth singles win against Ivan "The Terrible" Brown for the fifth and final singles point to lock the match for Harvard.

"Mike Zimmerman gave me a helpful tip," Tolmie said. "He told me to go for big first serves, rather than just spinning them into the [service] box."

Corndogs

On Saturday, Zimmerman, the 16th-rated player in the country, joined doubles partner Shyjan on the shoulder-injury list, as the Crimson was forced to battle the Big Red without its two nationally ranked players.

"Right now we're not at our strongest, but we're a very deep team," Fish said.

Leschly, Cardi, Chang, and Tolmie moved up to the top four singles spots, where the quartet triumphed in straight sets. Crimson, 9-0 at Beren Tennis Center

Singles Matches

1. Mark Leschly (HARVARD) d. Jamie Malekoff (Army), 6-3, 6-4; 2. Mike Zimmerman (HARVARD) d. Mark McMullin (Army), 6-1, 6-2; 3. Derek Brown (HARVARD) d. Mark Haight (Army), 706, 6-2; 4. Albert Chang (HARVARD) d. Chris Waters (Army), 6-3, 6-2; 5. John Tolmie (HARVARD) d. Ivan Brown (Army), 6-2, 6-1; 6. Ravi Kumar (HARVARD) d. Don Yumagami (Army), 6-4, 6-2.

Double Matches

1. Jon Cardi/Chang (HARVARD) d. Haight/Waters (Army), 6-4, 6-3; 2. Leschly/Roger Berry (HARVARD) d. Malekoff/McMullin (Army), 7-5, 6-1; 3. John Tolmie/Mike Shyjan (HARVARD) d. Brown/Porpura (Army), 6-3, 6-4.

Ravi Kumar clinched the match at fifth singles,as he vanquished his Red opponent by a 6-1, 6-0count.

Playing his first varsity match of the season,John Burke cruised to a 7-5,6-3 victory at sixthsingles before teaming with Leschly for a 6-3,6-4romp at second doubles.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard will try to defeatPrinceton for the Ivy title tomorrow at noon.Princeton's fourth-and fifth singles players beatLeschly and Chang earlier this year...Fishappraised Harvard's chances at "a little more than50-50" for the NCAA at-large bid, decidedThursday. "We just have to wait it out," Fishlamented