Making Some Waves Out on the Hard Courts

Just a piece of advice.

If you see anyone from the Harvard women's tennis team around campus, don't complain to her about injuries.

Chances are, she's injured herself.

With a solid core of veterans returning and the addition of one of the best recruiting classes in recent years, the Crimson was looking at the beginning of the year to make some waves in the collegiate tennis circle.

Consistent Ivy power Harvard is still expected to do some damage during its season, but right now, the team is concerned with limiting the damage to itself.

Here's just a taste of the injury list:

Freshman Cisca Mok. Out for the season with a wrist injury.

Sophomore Melissa McNabb. Probably sidelined for the season with a knee injury.

Junior Captain Rachel Pollack. Questionable for the start of the season due to a persistent ankle injury.

Junior Captain Melinda Wang. Out until April preparing for MCAT's (An illness which tends to strike Pre-Meds in the junior year.)

Get the idea?

Despite this formidable group of players who will be unavailable for some part of the season, prospects for the Harvard squad are still very high.

"I think we're going to have a very competitive team this year," Harvard Coach Gordon Graham said. "Hopefully we've had all the injuries we're going to have for the season.

Graham says the team's main goal is to make the NCAA team tournament held in May, a feat which will require besting Eastern powerhouse William and Mary, currently ranked 15th in the country.

Much of Graham's optimism rests on the racket of experienced freshman Erika deLone.

DeLone will begin her first spring season ranked by the ITCA as the second best collegiate player in the country.

"She's a sigh of relief," Graham said. "She's going to give us a sure point every game."

DeLone, the younger sister of last year's team captain Amy, took a year off between high school and Harvard to play on the professional tour where her world ranking climbed as high as 95th.

In the fall, she adjusted just fine to the college circuit, posting an 18-2 singles record while winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association (ITCA) individual title.

DeLone will backed up by the other Erika--junior Erika Elmuts, who finished second in the Eastern regional championships this fall. Elmuts teams up with deLone to form one of best double pairs in the country (currently 25th in the nation).

Other big contributors for Harvard will be sophomore Samantha Ettus, who posted the best singles record on the team last year, 20-5, and senior Kim Cooper, who returns to varsity matches after being sidelined since her sophomore year with a shoulder injury.

Going Out to Cali, to Cali...

Harvard begins its season with a grueling eight-day, six-match spring break in California.

The Golden State matches will not only provide the Crimson its first games--and undoubtedly toughest-of the spring season.

During the trip, the Crimson will lock horns with nationally-ranked teams Stanford (number two in the country) and Pepperdine (number 10 in the country) as well as several other teams on the bubble of the ITCA rankings.

"We're going to play a lot of tennis," Graham predicted. "It should be a real good week."

After spring break, the team returns to the East to face rivals Virgina and William and Mary, before plunging into the Ivy League schedule.

For the first time in nine seasons, Harvard will not be defending an Ivy title. The Crimson finished the 1991 Ivy season with a 5-2 mark, which was good for a second place tie with Yale behind Ivy champion Brown.

One Harvard advantage for the Ivies: the schedule. The Crimson will host five out of its seven league matches, including most of the tough ones.

"We are certainly one of the top teams," Graham said. "Whether or not we are the top team, I'm not sure. If we can keep everybody clicking, we should be in good shape." WOMEN'S VARSITY TENNIS

MARCH Sat. 21  at Pacific  noon Mon. 23  at Stanford  1:30 p.m. Tues. 24  vs.UCSB*  1 p.m. Thur. 26  at Pepperdine 1:30 p.m. Fri. 27  vs. NU**  10 a.m. Sat. 28  vs. Fres St.**  noon

APRIL Sat. 4  VIRGINIA  1 p.m. Sun. 5  W & M  1 p.m. Fri. 10  COLUMBIA  2 p.m. Sat. 11  PENN  1 p.m. Wed. 15  at BC  2 p.m. Fri. 17  at Princeton  2 p.m. Fri. 24  BROWN  2 p.m. Sat. 25  YALE  1 p.m. Wed. 29  DARTMOUTH  2 p.m.

MAY Fri. 1  at Cornell  2 p.m. Sat. 2  ARMY  1:00 p.m. Tue. 5  PRINCETON  noon * at Woodland Hills ** at Pepperdine Harvard Women's Tennis Lines

SINGLES Pos.  Name  Year  Hometown #1  Erika deLone  Fr.  Lincoln, MA *  Erika Elmuts  Jr.  Carlisle, MA *  Samantha Ettus  So.  New York, NY *  Kim Cooper  Sr.  Roslyn, NY #5  Eliza Parker  So.  Dover-Foxcroft, ME #6  Agata Passent  Fr.  Cambridge, MA #7  Kendra Harris  Fr.  Ventura, CA #8  Katie Hatch  Fr.  Billings, MT * Elmuts, Ettus and Cooper will platoon at two, three and four.

DOUBLES #1  DeLone/Elmuts #2  Passent/Parker #3  Hatch/Harris (These lines assume that Pollack is unable to start the season.)