Two Harvard Players Qualify for NCAAs

Regardless of what happens this weekend, two members of the Harvard women’s tennis team won’t be calling it a season.

On the strength of their performances thus far this season, co-captains Courtney Bergman and Susanna Lingman were both selected for the NCAA Individual Championships last Thursday. The No. 24 junior duo will partner yet again for the tournament, but No. 39 Bergman will be the sole Crimson representative in the singles draw.

The tandem managed a 15-9 record during regular-season play despite battling a host of injuries and long stretches where the two did not compete as a pair, good enough for the top spot in the east region.

“It’s the first time we’ve been in individuals for doubles,” Bergman said. “We’ve known that we’ve had potential but we’ve never really put it together, but we’re starting to put it together a lot more.”

The singles bid is Bergman’s third in as many years, a record for a Harvard competitor. She was also tapped for the east region’s top honors on the strength of her 14-7 record, but Bergman is anything but satisfied with the way her season has played out thus far.

“I’m not totally happy with how I’ve done this year, so it gives me a chance to do well in the biggest tournament of the year,” Bergman said. “I’ve had annoying nagging injuries and in general, with my results over spring break I just didn’t get the results that I wanted.”

HEALTHY AT LAST

After losing just one player to graduation following its Sweet Sixteen run, the Crimson entered the 2003-04 campaign with hefty expectations, which, until recently, looked as though they would prove to have been too ambitious. A strong schedule of opponents and a roster so banged up that nearly all competitors were bumped out of position combined to send Harvard reeling, just 7-9 on the year prior to conference play.

But as the Crimson’s undefeated Ivy slate revealed, a healthy lineup can go a long way. Now, headed into its NCAA opener against Ohio St., Harvard is as fit as at any point all season.

“Our team has such depth that it shouldn’t have been as much of a problem as it was, but it boosts everyone’s confidence,” Bergman said. “It’s our team. We’re not short anyone.”

That should mean the return of junior Alexis Martire at No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles. She was absent during the final three Ancient Eight contests of the season after dropping a three-setter against Penn on April 17.

Her return will likely bump freshman Cindy Chu—who slid into the No. 6 slot in Martire’s absence—from the ladder altogether and freshman Preethi Mukundan and sophomore Melissa Anderson to Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.

CLEAN SLATE

Though the Crimson defeated sub-regional top seed Kentucky 4-3 on Feb. 6, the last thoughts on Harvard’s mind are of tournament committee disrespect, even if the squad wasn’t at full strength without Bergman the last time out.

“They have more pressure on them technically,” Bergman said. “They’re going to be a really tough team and they’ve improved since the beginning of the year.”

And worrying about a matchup that might not even take place isn’t helping anyone’s plans, either. Instead, the Crimson has maintained the same weekly practice schedule it has all season long, despite the extra importance of the contests that lie ahead.

While part of that strategy might be the result of a conscious effort to maintain good habits, Harvard admittedly has little knowledge of its opening-round opponent Ohio St. and even Bergman confesses to knowing “nothing” of likely Friday singles challenger Lindsay Williams, who has knocked off a pair of top 20 players already this season.

“The most that we do is to get scouting reports,” sophomore Eva Wang said, “and the coach sends out emails to other schools to see if they have reports on players from other schools.”

With so little to go on prior to a potential second-round appearance—the Crimson has not only beaten the Wildcats, but its other potential opponent, BU—Harvard has focused almost exclusively on remaining healthy and sharpening its own performances.

“Ultimately,” Bergman said, “it’s within ourselves.”

DROPSHOTS

Friday’s first-round match between the Crimson and Buckeyes is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Beren Tennis Center and will be followed by the Kentucky-Boston University pairing at 2 p.m. The winners advance to the second round, to be contested Saturday at 2 p.m...Wang reported tightness in her quadriceps after yesterday’s practice, but labeled the injury minor and said she expects to be back at full strength by week’s end.

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.