The Harvard women's tennis team left the sheltered confines of Palmer Dixon tennis courts March 23 and headed south to face a schedule of tough opponents over spring break. When they returned Saturday, they sported suntans, confidence and a 4-2 record.

Coach Peter Felske took his eight top players on the jaunt to warmer climes in an effort to build up team unity and give the number seven and eight players some extra match experience.

The trip started off on a sour note when a snafu in the team's hotel reservations in Virginia resulted in shortage of beds and a poor night's sleep for many of the players. It was a tired and stiff contingent that headed for Wake Forest on Friday.

The women in white, playing outside for the first time since fall, lost, 7-4, to a strong Wake Forest team. Freshman Martha Roberts, playing first singles, fell, 6-0 and 6-2, to nationally-ranked Cindy Corey, while classmates Meg Meter and Libby Pierpont, junior Sally Roberts and sophomore captain Katie Ditzler fared no better in second through fifth positions. Leslie Miller, another Yardling, notched Harvard's first win at sixth singles.

A weekend of rest and relaxation did wonders for the Crimson, as the racquetwomen loosened up on somewhat soggy courts and beat the Duke subvarsity, 7-5, with a strong performance from the middle of the squad.

"It was a good showing--we'll play their varsity next year," Felske said, adding, "We should have played them this year."

The racquetwomen were not so lucky the next day, when they dropped a match to North Carolina State. Sally Roberts and Miller at four and six, respectively, provided the only singles victories, and Miller teamed with Meyer to win the third doubles.

From there it was up, up, and away, as the Crimson overpowered its last three opponents. Playing on unfamiliar clay courts, the women made Davidson College their second victim. Martha Roberts and Meyer lost on top, but the middle of the ladder came through again, and Harvard swept the doubles for a 10-2 triumph.

The women continued to roll on Thursday, as they blanked St. Mary's College in Raleigh, 10-0. Pierpont came out on the right side of the only three-setter of the day, and Ditzler took to day off to rest.

The Crimson finished the stint Friday in Raleigh, with a whitewashing of the Duke Faculty Club women. A 42-year-old former European field hockey player gave Pierpont a fight in the only close match of the day.

"I was afraid these teams would be considerably stronger, but they are definitely beatable, and we had a lot to gain from playing them," Felske said.

The Crimson coach said he will play pretty much the same ladder in Eastern season competition, although a challenge match may be in the offing for Meyer and Pierpont, whom he says are very close.

Felske switched doubles pairs during the trip, and will go with the Roberts sisters, Ditzler and Pierpont, and Miller and Meyer in the spring.

"The trip was a real boost to our confidence, and that means a lot in tennis. Everyone's really psyched for spring," Felske added. "We're a young team, Martha Roberts and Pierpont have a lot of potential, there are some good people coming in next year--we'll just get stronger and stronger," he added.

Back in Cambridge, the racquetwomen return to the great indoors, hoping that when spring comes to New England, they can repeat their southern triumphs.