End to Losing Streak with Pair of Victories

Improve during the preseason and peak in April—that’s what Harvard coach Traci Green has been preaching to the women’s tennis team all year.

Over the course of the preseason, the Crimson improved gradually as it took on nine ranked teams in 12 matches. Now it’s April and the Crimson has found its stride.

This weekend, Harvard (2-12, 2-0 Ivy) opened its Ivy League schedule and prevailed over Cornell (8-4, 1-2) and Columbia (2-11, 0-3). The victories ended the Crimson’s 12-game losing streak.

“The team is finding a way,” Green said. “We weren’t perfect, but we kept battling. At our competition peak anything can happen.”

In the first match of weekend, Harvard toppled the Big Red, 5-2. The Crimson benefited from wins in the top four singles positions. The next day, the team earned a 4-3 victory over the Lions. Though the final score was close, Harvard had the match wrapped up with an early 4-0 lead.

“We started playing well at the end of spring break and that momentum carried us through,” captain Stephanie Schnitter said.

The Crimson hopes to use this weekend as a stepping-stone for next week’s match against No. 63 Penn (7-7, 2-1). Staying undefeated in the league will be a challenge for Harvard, since the Quakers are one of two ranked teams in the Ancient Eight.

“Our biggest match is our next match against Penn on Friday,” Green said. “We know anything can happen.”

HARVARD 4, COLUMBIA 3

The Crimson pounced on Columbia right from the start. Harvard took the doubles point and then won the next three singles points to clinch the match with a 4-0 advantage.

“We came out with a lot of energy,” Schnitter said. “Doing that just lets them know that we’re out here to win.”

Freshman Samantha Rosekrans clinched the overall win for the Crimson with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles. The other two singles victories came from junior Beier Ko at No. 1 and Schnitter in the No. 3 position. Schnitter won her fourth singles match in a row, 6-2, 6-3, and Ko triumphed, 6-0, 6-3, for her team-leading seventh victory of the season.

In doubles, Ko and Rosekrans continued their dominating weekend with an 8-1 victory at No. 2. The pair leads the team with five wins. Schnitter and junior Laura Peterzan won 8-2 at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point.

“It was a great way to start our April and Ivy League,” Schnitter said. “Now we’ve got experience winning and closing out matches.”

HARVARD 5, CORNELL 2

The first Ivy League match was everything Harvard could have hoped for. The Crimson started the contest by taking the doubles point and then dominated in the top four singles positions.

The clinching win came from Schnitter, who came back from a 4-1 second-set deficit to defeat her opponent 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.

“It was really awesome to see Stephanie clinch the match,” Green said. “It was very gratifying to see her get the job done and get the team on the board.”

Seconds after Schnitter’s victory, Peterzan won 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2. Ko pummeled her opponent 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 1 slot, and Rosekrans, who is second on the team with six wins, prevailed 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4.

In doubles, Ko and Rosekrans earned an easy 8-2 win at No. 2. Peterzan and Schnitter dropped a match point at No. 1, but then won eight straight points to take the set 9-7.

“I’m really proud of Steph and Laura,” Green said. “They really showed how to be resilient and keep fighting. We have adopted an attitude and that is ‘keep competing’ and they showed you got to go out there and keep competing.”

—Staff writer Jake I. Fisher can be reached at jifisher@fas.harvard.edu.