Crimson Takes Fifth in ECAC Team Championships

This past weekend, the Harvard women’s tennis team traveled to Hanover, N.H. to play in the ECAC Team Championship. The three-day tournament was hosted by Ivy League foe Dartmouth and included seven of the eight Ivies.

Seeded No. 4 in the draw, the Crimson (1-2) fell, 4-3, in the first round to the Big Green (1-5), but rebounded and dominated Cornell (3-2) 6-1 in the fifth-place match.

Up first on Harvard’s schedule was fifth-seeded Dartmouth. Last season, the Crimson ended its 2008 campaign by losing to the Big Green, 4-3, in Hanover. On Friday, history seemed to repeat itself. Despite a tenacious effort, Harvard fell again to Dartmouth, 4-3.

The Crimson battled the Big Green in competitive doubles matches. Unfortunately, in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, Crimson pairs fell, giving Dartmouth the first point of the match. At No. 1, senior Beier Ko and sophomore Agnes Sibilski lost 8-6, and at No. 2, sophomore Samantha Rosekrans and freshman Caroline Davis were barely defeated 9-8 (4) in an intensely close match. But Harvard did have a bright spot at No. 3 doubles where the freshman tandem of Camille Jania and Samantha Gridley topped their opponents 8-4.

After doubles, the Crimson was down by a point; thus to gain victory over the Big Green, Harvard had to win four of the singles matches. Exchanging wins and losses with Dartmouth, No. 1 Ko, No. 3 Jania, and No. 6 Sibilski all gained points in singles.

Ko defeated Molly Scott in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6(1) and Jania easily came out on top in straight sets against Jesse Adler, 6-3, 6-4. Sibilski, at No. 6, faced a tough challenge against Ryan Reichel, but ultimately overcame her and won in three sets, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The Crimson battled to the end, winning half of the single matches, but it was not enough to get the win, and the Big Green escaped by a narrow margin.

“We didn’t do much wrong in the matches,” captain Laura Peterzan said. “They are a good team and the difference was only by a couple of points.”

With the loss to Dartmouth, Harvard received a bye on Saturday. The Crimson resumed play against the Big Red Sunday morning, which gave Harvard time to recover and come back strong.

“It was a very close match with Dartmouth—actually a heartbreaker—and we just lost by a couple of points,” Crimson coach Traci Green said. “It was a tough loss, but we bounced back on Sunday.”

A rejuvenated Harvard defeated Cornell in an overwhelming 6-1 victory. Crimson doubles recovered from Friday and won at No. 1 and No. 3. In the top spot, Ko and Sibilski earned a sound 8-4 win, and at No. 3 Jania and Gridley triumphed 8-2. Harvard then dominated singles play with victories all down the line from No. 1 to No. 5, including wins in straight sets from No. 1 through No. 4. Sibilski, at No. 5, battled Shayna Miller and won in a close three-set match 7-5, 5-7, 10-6. Standout Ko did not disappoint either, bageling Natalia Sanchez in the first set and earning a 6-0, 6-1 overall.

“Beier Ko and Peterzan led the way,” Green said. “Beier got out there and tore through her opponent very quickly. Laura was able to grind out a tough match to take us to 3-0. Camille then clinched the match, ensuring victory.”

Despite the close loss to the Big Green, the Crimson finished the weekend on a high note. Jania did especially well this weekend, boasting a 4-0 record overall.

“Everyone did well this weekend,” Peterzan said. “It was a team effort and if we keep improving we will be even more successful.”

“I was really happy with the way the team bounced back,” Green said. “We stuck together and worked on getting an early lead.”

The resilient Harvard squad is improving with each match. After close losses to Boston University and Dartmouth, the Crimson turned it around and took a step in the right direction.

“We did really great and definitely got learning experience,” Peterzan said.