W. Tennis Thwarted by W&M

1996

Sports Statistics

Record: 20-6, 6-1 Ivy

Ivy Finish: Second

Coach: Gordon Graham

Other Key Players: Captain Gina Majmudar; Junior Gabriela Hricko; Sophomore Ivy Wang

1997

Some resentment must be building against the Tribe. For the second straight year, the Harvard women's tennis season was halted, and its national hopes dashed thanks to the William & Mary juggernaut.

At the Eastern Regional Championship on the campus of Brown University, the Crimson was taken down in the final match, 5-3. The No. 1 team in the East, which boasts the nations' eighth-ranked collegiate player, Lauren Nikolaus, and the fourth-ranked doubles tandem of Nikolaus and Johanna Sones proved its worth.

The Crimson entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed--after cruising to a 6-1 record in the Ivy League--and had no problem shrugging off its first-round opponent, Virginia Tech, 5-0. The competition became much more stiff afterwards as Harvard was pitted against No. 2-seeded Alabama in the semifinals. Coming off a 5-0 win of its own against Boston College, the Crimson Tide was on a mission.

But Harvard wanted William & Mary.

In a gutsy, come-from-behind, five-hour match, the Crimson pulled out the 5-4 upset over Alabama to advance to the final round.

A scare early on saw sophomore Ivy Wang fall in a three-set thriller (2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) to Bali Camino and Rosemary She--in the No. 2 singles position--lose to Dominique Glinzer, 7-5, 6-2. Gina Majmudar also fell victim to the Alabama attack, leaving the fate of both the match and the Crimson season in the hands in the final two singles spots.

Fortunately for the Crimson, junior second team All-Ivy selection Gabriela Hricko (6-0, 4-6, 6-2) and freshman Vedica Jain (4-6, 6-4, 6-1) posted two crucial three-set wins, while junior Julia Kim (6-3, 6-2) added another to bring the Crimson within striking distance.

"Going into the match we knew that we could do it, but after that going down 3-0 from the start, we began having doubts," Majmudar said. "The No. 5 and 6 singles knew that they had to win for us to have a chance."

The unanimous first team All-Ivy doubles tandem of Hricko and Majmudar could not find the "W," but a solid 8-6 doubles performance by Wang and She in the No. 1 slot helped the struggling Crimson cause. The match then came down to the No. 3 doubles team of Jain and Kim.

An emotional 8-4 win by the Crimson duo gave Harvard the win. It was the team's 20th win of the season, equalling a program record.

"The Alabama match was the toughest for us. It was the most heart we put into a match," Majmudar said.

With Alabama behind it, the Crimson could finally concentrate on the Tribe, which had cruised through its two earlier rounds, 5-0. One of those impressive routs involved Ivy champion Brown, which had defeated Harvard just two weeks before take the Ivy title.

Would William & Mary make it three straight shutouts?

"I don't think that we were thinking in terms of ranking," Majmudar said. "From day one we wanted to win regionals and that was our goal--or at least to have that chance to be able to go to nationals."

Harvard gave the Tribe a run for its money with a split in the singles matches, but the doubles proved to be the final nail in the Crimson coffin.

Once again Harvard had difficulty in the top singles positions as it was beaten in the first two spots. Last year, Wang stunned Nikolaus during the Crimson's 19-5 campaign, but history was not meant to repeat itself, as the Nikolaus cruised by Wang, 6-1, 6-2. She had similar disappointing luck against Michelle O, 6-3, 6-2.

Harvard rallied with two three-set victories at the No. 3 and 4 spots with Hricko (6-2, 3-6, 6-4) and Majmudar (4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2)), which caused the split.

Doubles proved futile for the Crimson as it dropped all three matches and subsequently saw its season end on the Brown courts.

The final loss does not detract from yet another solid season for the Crimson, however. Its 6-1 spring Ivy record was good enough for second place in league, while its 20-6 overall mark elevated Harvard to No. 28 in the nation.

The Rolex Regional Indoor Championships hosted by William & Mary back in November was where the Harvard players shined and proved that they belong among the nation's best.

Wang reached the championship of the 96-player women's singles competition, thus qualifying for the national indoor championships. Wang had to get by Ivy League Player of the Year Trishna Patel of Brown in a grueling three-set match. Although Wang fell in the final round match against O, she had already qualified for the nationals.

In addition to Wang's achievements, the doubles tandem of Hricko and Majmudar battled their way to the semifinals.

"It was a very good tournament for us," said head coach Gordon Graham after the tournament. "On a 10-point scale, I'd give it an eight."

Once again, both Wang and the Hricko-Majmudar qualified for the national tournament in the spring.

The Crimson looks to be dangerous once again next year as it loses only one player in Majmudar. Her loss, however, will be a blow to both the singles and doubles team.

"It's really hard to walk away knowing that I am the only senior," Majmudar said. "[The players] are definitely my closest friends, but it's time to go."

Harvard's top three singles players will be back next year and look to move higher up the ranks both on an individual and team level.

Perhaps with another year of experience, the Crimson will be able to avenge its loss to William & Mary and start a new trend at the East Regionals.