Harvard Women’s Tennis Continues Rolling, Wins Two More at Home

The Harvard women's tennis team (10-2, 0-0) kicked off March with impressive home victories against Boston University and Army, displaying dominant results which saw the Crimson down its opponents in two decisive 4-0 victories.

Heading into the weekend, junior co-captain Angel You articulated the team’s approach. “Going into the weekend every week, we focus on the next goal in hand, which is the next match,” You said. “So we're really dialed in at practice and keep pushing forward, and it definitely showed this weekend.”

Harvard entered the match riding its best 10-match start in over 20 years, kicking off the year with a compelling 8-2 record and striving to extend its four-match winning streak over the weekend.

HARVARD 4, BOSTON UNIVERSITY 0

The Crimson stormed into the weekend, facing crosstown foe BU on Saturday and emerging with a commanding 4-0 showing.

You placed emphasis on the team’s preparation. “Me and my co-captain Rachel [Arbitman] really focus on making sure that everybody's taking care of the little details,” she said. “Whether that's going to the training room, making sure you get enough sleep, eating right, that you're dialed in every practice. We only have a certain number of hours on the court, so we make sure that we make the most of it while also taking care of academics.”

Starting off the day in doubles play, Harvard won easily in the No. 1 position as freshman Stephanie Yakoff and junior Holly Fischer posted a dominant straight-set 6-0 win. This victory improved the duo’s doubles record to a strong 7-3 in dual play. After losing in the No. 2 spot, junior Rachel Arbitman and freshman Kavya Karra teamed up for the first time, ultimately defeating their opponents in a thrilling 6-4 victory to clinch Harvard the doubles point.

Proceeding with singles action, Fischer prevailed over her Terriers opponent to claim the next point, improving the Crimson to 2-0. Fischer conceded the least number of games of any Harvard player that day in a commanding 6-0, 6-3 triumph. Remaining undefeated in the No. 6 spot and picking up her first win of the weekend, freshman Natalie Block secured the third point of the match for Harvard, mirroring Fischer’s straight-set decision to down her opponent 6-4, 6-3.

Ultimately, after a tight back-and-forth standoff, Yakoff triumphed at the No. 2 spot, coming away with a 6-4, 6-3 win and sealing the overall victory for Harvard.

Reflecting on the squad’s success, head coach Traci Green praised the players’ depth and adaptability. “This group has been amazingly unselfish. Our culture is one that starts with our captains who keep preaching ‘team first.’ Then it trickles down from top to bottom. Every week is a new week, and they approach it as something exciting, something new. I think that energy and that feeling is contagious, so we try to keep that going.”

“Right now, whether we win or lose the next match, we talk about how we compete, because our team takes it very seriously,” Green added.

Echoing Green’s statement, You further elucidated the team’s strategy when facing adversity. “Coach has a saying of ‘turning the page’, and it's been something that we've been really focused on,” You said. “So whether we win or lose the doubles point, we make sure that we turn the page and focus on the next task in any match. Honestly, our strategy is: we're going to show everybody we're the toughest team out there.”

The Crimson’s win on Saturday improved its win streak to five and extended its all-time series record with the Terriers to a dominant 39-6.

HARVARD 4, ARMY 0

This hot streak continued into Sunday as the Crimson posted yet another 4-0 sweep over the Mules, securing a dominant 2-0 showing across the weekend. This win marks Harvard’s sixth straight win and extended its record to 10-2 in the season, its best start in 50 years of program history.

The afternoon opened with remarkable performances in doubles play, starting with a resounding 6-0 win at the No. 3 spot from first-time duo Fischer and junior Maxi Duncan. Not to be outdone, Block and You closely mirrored this success at the No. 2 position, downing their opponents 6-1 to give the Crimson an early 1-0 lead.

Junior Maxi Duncan uncorks a forehand in a match against BC. Duncan teamed up with Holly Fischer this weekend to great success. By Owen A. Berger

Harvard carried this momentum in the singles action. The first win came from freshman Katie Kim, who defeated her opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, pushing the Crimson’s lead to 2-0. Kim has had a standout performance in her first year and leads the team in singles victories, notching her 19th overall victory of the 2023-24 season and an impressive 9-1 record in dual action through Sunday’s win.

Kavya Karra, another first-year talent, brought the Crimson within a point of securing the match by also clinching a straight-set victory (6-3, 6-0), improving her year’s record to 10-6 overall.

The culminating moment came from sophomore Charlotte Owensby, who secured her inaugural victory of the spring season. In the opening set, Owensby triumphed through a tiebreaker, before dominating the second without dropping a game, prevailing over her opponent 7-6, 6-0 and clinching the critical winning point for Harvard.

This win over the Mules elevated the Crimson’s all-time series record to an undefeated 2-0 against the military academy, marking yet another milestone in its already outstanding season.

Green underscored the team’s resilience and unity in bringing home the victory. “That toughness, that mindset starts in practice,” Green said. “By the time we get out there, we're ready to go, and we're firing on all cylinders. We have a lot of big guns on our team, so it's really about finding the right combination of weapons to use. Some weekends call for a certain combo of weapons and others call for another.”

You agreed with Green, adding, “Our team this year, the culture, everyone, the team bonding has been really great. Everybody has been hanging out outside the court, which is super important to our performance on the court, because we're just one big family.”

“You can definitely see that through the fight, everybody's really excited and wants the best for each other. We want to win as a team, and we can see that this year especially,” You said.

The upcoming challenges and the transition to outdoor tennis were also on the team's radar. Green noted the importance of adapting to different playing conditions. “At this point, we're excited about our spring trip out to California, which is going to be outdoor tennis, so there's a little bit of a transition there. Over the next two, three days of practice, we'll be focusing on adding spin to our game, and also learning to be a bit more patient. Ultimately, we're turning the page getting ready for outdoor tests,” Green said.

After its matchup against Army, Harvard women’s tennis also hosted its annual “kids clinic” at the Murr Centre on Sunday, holding a Q&A session with young players and practicing hitting with them. You emphasized the importance of community engagement and being role models for younger fans. “This weekend, we had our kids clinic so it was really cool to see some little kiddos in the stands watching the match. As college players one of our responsibilities is making sure that we're being good role models for the next generation, hopefully inspiring the next gen."

Next week, Harvard will hit the courts again, starting a series of three matches in California. Its first game in the Golden State will take place against Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET. The squad is looking forward to playing outside and continuing matching up against teams. “We’re super excited about our spring break trip, and the opportunity to play outside and play some really great teams out in Cali,” Green said. “We want to keep seeing the growth continue this season.”

—Staff writer Emma S. de Jong can be reached at emma.dejong@thecrimson.com.