Netwomen Can't Stop Princeton

It took an unrelenting drive, several three-set wins, a few tie-breakers and a six-and-a-half hour match, not to mention a few Crimson injuries, but the Princeton women's tennis team launched itself one step closer to an Ivy League title yesterday at the Palmer-Dixon Indoor Courts.

The Tigers defeated the Crimson 6-3, marking the Harvard's first league home loss since 1981.

Freshman Kate Roiter and Kelly Granat secured straight-set singles wins at the first and third positions in the defeat, while Roiter and junior Melissa McNabb were victorious at first doubles, 6-4, 6-0.

And although these wins were obviously a credit to the Crimson campaign yesterday, the efforts of the rest of the Harvard lineup displayed the talent and tenacity of this season's young squad.

Junior Kendra Harris took the first set at fifth singles, 6-4, but was outlasted at Princeton's Hilary Puskin, 7-6, 6-2.

At second singles, McNabb took her opponent to three sets as well but fell, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Mather House resident (still recovering from an abdominal pull) played only her first Ivy match of the season yesterday.

But perhaps the best example of Crimson resilience came in the form of freshman Erica Cheng, who represented Harvard at sixth singles in yesterday's contest.

Out of commission with numerous injuries since the last match of the team's spring break tour, Cheng had only seen over an hour of practice time this week.

Cheng's 6-0, 6-4 loss was not indicative of her performance--although understandably rusty in the first set, she fended off 11 match points, and was down 5-2 in the second set before she found her rhythm.

"Harvard struggles with more than their share of injuries," Princeton coach Louise Gengler said. "It really makes a difference if [their top players] are healthy or not."

"It was gutsy, hanging-tough tennis," coach Gordon Graham said of the team's effort. "When it's that close and everyone's trying their best, you can't complain."

Especially in a league as fiercely competitive as this season's--Princeton and Harvard were among four teams favored to share the lead in the pre-season--the Crimson refuses to lose its poise.

"We're going to keep working, keep improving our doubles, and keep getting the same kind of effort as today," Graham said.

Harvard faces Boston College today at home at 1 p.m.