If Harvard's tennis team hopes to retain the share of the EITA title that it has held for the past two years-or for that matter even gain a clear shot at second place-the Crimson will have to dispose of a team that has similar ambitions when it hosts unbeaten Pennsylvania today at 2 p. m.

Last spring, on the Quakers' tough hardcourts, Penn deprived Harvard of an unshared EITA championship with a stunning 5-4 upset. This season, since both squads lost heavily from their starting ladders but have rebuilt surprisingly well, the match could be equally close, and could again be decided where it was last season-at first singles.

In that match. Penn's Hugh Curry out-lasted Crimson captain John Levin at the top spot 2-6, 6-2, 6-4-the only individual contest to exceed straight sets. Curry is back again this spring, and although his progress has been interrupted by a pulled hamstring muscle, he could give Harvard's Bill Washauer the toughest battle the Crimson junior has had alf spring.

Else where on the ladder, the squads' strengths appear to be fairly equally balanced.

At number two the top Quaker sophomore, John Adams, is paired with Harvard's Dave Fish one of the most drastically improve I varsity performers. Adams stepped into the number one spot during Carry's airsence last week and promptly ran off victories over Army's Bill Maikemes, Dartmouth's Geoff Dyer and Yale's Pete Heydemann all respectable performers. Fish, who began the Sonthern trip ranked number four, has moved past Joe Cavanagh and whipped junior Chris Nielsen in a challenge match two weeks ago to nail down the second spot.

Charlie Moore, who has moved rapidly up the Quaker singles ladder, will face Chris Nielsen at three, and George Rork, the other Penn sophomore, will be Cavanagh's opponent at four.

At five and six Penn's Eliot Berry and Chad Hazam may represent the best lower ladier combination in the EITA this spring. Berry, who lost to Washaner in straight sets at number five last year, will confront junior Bill Brock, and Hazam will play against Harvard captain Butch Kawakami.

But it is in the doubles that the match will most likely he decided-and Penn has done some what better there this spring. On several occasions, however. Harvard coach Jack Barnaby has substituted reserves for his regular nuits after a match had been won in singles competition, so comparative results are not quite as meaningful as they would seem.

Adams and Rork will face Washauer and Niolsen at the top spot. Curry and Moore are paired with Fish and Cavanagh at number two, and Xavier Esteves and Gr?g Kail will play against Kawakami and sophomore Rick Devereux at three.