MAKING COLLEGE LIFE A HEARTY MEAL

There's a sign on Kate Roiter's wall that should adorn every college freshman's dorm room.

"Kate--do not eat any more shitty foods--for example:

1. NO REESE'S

2. No fries

3. No Cap't Crunch

4. No desserts

5. No late nite pizza (unless absolutely necessary)"

"It's obscene how much our team eats--how much I eat," Roiter remarks good-naturedly. She is 5'2", barely 100 pounds. Grinning, Roiter then reminisces about the time she and teammate Kelly Granat devoured an entire bag of Reese's on the way to a tournament.

From nearby Weston, Mass., Roiter bears every semblance of a friendly, pleasant 18-year-old who is kind to animals and has a weakness for chocolate and junk food. And she is.

But Roiter is also a phenomenal tennis player. One of the most promising talents in this year's crop of freshman tennis players, she has already made an impression in her two months at Harvard.

Collegiate Debut

At her intercollegiate tennis debut, Roiter cruised through the main draw of Flight A singles at the Harvard Invitational in September, reaching the finals. She also won a significant match at 2nd singles against an impressive Pennsylvania team, and is slated to compete at the ITCA Regional Individual Tournament this weekend.

But ask Roiter how her season is going and she simply says, "I totally love it. The girls on the team are great, and we have so much fun."

As for her pre-Harvard accomplishments, Roiter was second in the Girls' 16-and-under division in New England last year, and earned a national ranking of 27th.

These statistics alone seem incredible, but then take into consideration the time and dedication Roiter put into her Other Sport--soccer. "I've been playing soccer almost as long as I've been playing tennis," she says. "I like it so much because its a team sport."

Roiter's commitment to soccer, in fact, was one reason why Harvard tennis was interested.

Gordon Graham, the women's tennis coach, said that he looks to recruit athletes with this kind of diversity, and Roiter "definitely fits the mold of the team player. Usually, most successful tennis Juniors are naturally focused on their individual needs rather than the best interests of a team."

Bud Collins Story

As for her introduction to the game of tennis, it's a story Bud Collins would have conniptions over. Not only is Roiter's middle name "Love," but her entire family, has played tennis for years. Roiter and her mother, Martha, have competed in several national mother/daughter tournaments, and older brother Eric currently plays for Williams.

"The first time I played I was about three years old, watching my mom play a match," Roiter remembers. "They gave me a racquetball racket to play with in case I got bored, and whoever was watching me took me to the bangboard to hit. I loved it so much I didn't want to get off."

Kate's mother, Martha Roiter remembers the auspicious beginning well. "She really took it up on her own. We've encouraged her, but never pushed. For Kate, tennis is fun, not a commitment."

This might explain why Roiter is not obsessed with but genuinely dedicated to the game. And she has a realistic grasp of her future beyond tennis.

"Tennis is important and everything, but looking ahead 20 years from now, education will be a lot more important," Roiter said. "I finally decided on Harvard because I really wanted a school strong in academics."

As for being a student here at Harvard, the Pennypacker resident seems to be living through all of the normal trials and tribulations of life as a freshman. She's taking Heroes ("not really a gut"), misses her pets ("Daisy and Lulu") and isn't sure about her concentration ("maybe psychology--I'm interested in sports psychology, but I'm not sure yet").

Genuine College Life

Spend a few moments with her, and you find out that off the court, Roiter is an outgoing, amiable person who is genuinely enjoying college life and dislikes being called "cute."

But to get a clearer picture of Roiter, you have to talk tennis.

She admires Gabriela Sabatini's intense serve-and-volley game, likes Michael Chang "because he's short," and loves Stefan Edberg--well, because he's Stefan.

You have to know that she lives for charging the net and winning points off her volleys. She wonders why more people don't use a topspin lob against her. She enjoys playing doubles because "you have to play as a team."

Most of all, she loves being a tennis player. Period.