Although the tennis team won only one of its matches on the spring tour, the team is optimistic, because of their victory over the University of Virginia which climaxed the trip.
A match with Navy at Annapolis, which was to have been Harvard's first league match, was rained out on Saturday.
The Crimson faced strong opposition in two days of matches at the University of Georgia, and lost, 8-1 and 9-0. John Levin earned the only point by downing Georgia's top man, Danny Birchmore, 9-7, 7-5. Levin and Rocky Jarvis lost in three gruelling sets, 11-13, 7-5, 6-4, to Georgia's best pair, Shippey and Norman Holmes, in what the Georgia coach called "the best match ever played on these courts."
After playing on the Georgia hard courts, Harvard had some difficulty readjusting to the clay courts at Clemson College, their next stop. The Crimson was overpowered, 7-2.
Closer Matches
At North Carolina, the matches were closer. Levin and Jarvis and sophomore tandem, Bill Washauer and Chris Neilson, playing in the second slot, won handily. Jarvis also won his singles match. Larry Terrell and Terry Oxford lost in three sets.
In better spirits, the six edged the University of Virginia, 5-4. Levin, Jarvis and Oxford won their matches quickly, and Washauer finally got the crucial fourth point winning, 7-5, in the third set. Levin and Jarvis won their doubles to clinch the victory. Terrell and Oxford again lost in the third, and Washauer and Neilson also played three sets before succumbing.
Under a light drizzle, play began at Annapolis on Saturday. Levin faced Midshipman Bobby Cowan, ranked fourth in the Middle Atlantic states. Levin lost, 6-2, 6-1, breaking two rackets in the first set. A heavy downpour halted play before any other matches were completed.
Terry Oxford of the first string was optimistic about the team's potential but apprehensive about this week's heavy schedule. Matches are scheduled with M.I.T. on Wednesday, Amherst on Thursday, and at Pennsylvania on Saturday.
"What we need," said Oxford, "are some wins. We've got to get back the winning psychology."
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