M. Tennis to Face Miss. St. at NCAA's

The Harvard men's tennis team travels to Georgia this weekend to continue their bid for a championship in the NCAA tournament.

Harvard, currently ranked 22nd in the nation, faces Mississippi State tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the University of Georgia.

Last weekend saw Harvard win the NCAA regional semi-final tournament. The Crimson, coming off nine straight wins prior to the tournament, was the second seed in the four team field. Virginia Tech was the first to fall to the Crimson, by a score of 4-1.

On Sunday, Harvard faced Florida in the final. Florida's squad, the top seed in the tournament, contained the seventh seeded player in the country Damon Henkel.

Sunday's match was all Crimson. Sophomore Tom Blake had a huge upset as Blake beat Henkel in straight sets (7-6, 6-4). Senior co-captain Todd Meringoff also won his singles match 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 to clinch Harvard's victory.

This weekend's matches should prove a greater challenge for the Crimson. This year is the first year that Harvard has advanced beyond the regional tournament since 1994 when the regional semi-final format was introduced.

Harvard is looking to break tradition in tomorrow's match. The Crimson has reached the 16 team plateau six times, most recently in 1992, but has never progressed further.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, this task will prove difficult as their opponent is Mississippi State. Mississippi State, currently the fourth seed in the tournament and ninth overall, drew a bye for the regional semifinals. Their star player is Thomas Dupre, who is ranked ninth in the nation.

Earlier in the season, Florida beat Mississippi State at home 4-3, Mississippi State's top player is two spots below Florida's Benkel, and Harvard trounced Florida 4-0.

In a logical world, Harvard should dominate Mississippi State. Unfortunately, logic does not always apply to college sports, and the Crimson will have to fight its way to victory tomorrow.