W. Tennis Ends Season With Win

The Harvard women’s tennis team closed out its season with a 6-1 win at Dartmouth’s Topliff Courts yesterday. Again the Crimson seniors were leading the way.

Co-captain Fleur Broughton capped off her Harvard career with a come-from-behind victory over Dartmouth’s Carly Bashleben at No. 2 singles.

Dropping the first set 2-6, Broughton did not buckle, coming back to win the next two sets decisively, 6-1, 6-3.

Because freshmen Susanna Lingman and Courtney Bergman did not play singles yesterday due to nagging injuries, the team shifted up two spots in singles play. Each member of the Crimson stepped up in response.

Freshman Alexis Matire followed Broughton’s lead with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 win over Dartmouth’s Sarita Yardi at No. 1 singles.

With the win, Matire finished her season undefeated in Ivy League play. She has not lost a match since competing against Stanford on March 26.

Matire said that superb doubles play helped the women’s team to victory.

“We had won all three doubles matches early, and that set the mood for singles play,” Matire said. “Everyone just played really well and fought hard.”

In doubles play Harvard swept Dartmouth 3-0 as the freshman lead the way again for the Crimson. In No. 1 doubles, the freshmen tandem of Bergman and Lingman beat the Dartmouth pair Bashleben and Yardi, 9-7.

Second and third doubles finished early but Lingman and Bergman had a more difficult match.

“In doubles we had a tough match because the Dartmouth pair was ranked high in our region,” Lingman said. “I played with Courteny and although the other matches were done quickly, we wanted to stay out there and hang on for the win to close out the year.”

In No. 2 doubles, freshman dominance continued as Martire played with freshman Ashley Hyotte to win 8-5.

Hyotte also won in No. 5 singles against Catherine Crandall of Dartmouth in straight sets.

In No. 4 singles, Harvard senior Sarah McGinty defeated Arden Fredeking in another close match, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. Frederking tied the match after the second set but McGinty was able to hold on for the win.

The Crimson’s only loss of the day came as junior Lara Naqushbandi dropped a close match in No. 3 singles. After winning the first set, she dropped two straight sets to Jayme Ahmed.

Harvard’s victory brought the season to a close on a high note with improvement from last year.

Led by the seniors Broughton, McGinty, Jennie Timoney and co-captain Andrea Magyera, the team was 10-8 overall and finished 6-1 in the league, one game better than its Ivy showing last year.