Although poets say a man's thoughts turn to love in springtime, the Harvard tennis team is focusing more on courts than on courting at the moment.

With one win already tucked away, the Crimson racquetmen will travel out West over spring break to face Notre Dame and six Southern California colleges before returning home to take on the Ivy League.

Five of the six top players from last year's 11-2 squad have returned to lend both experience and depth to the team.

In addition, seniors fill five of the top eight notches and "provide excellent team leadership," freshman John Bridgeland said.

A Turning Point

The combination of talent, experience and a positive attitude should make this year a turning point for the Harvard tennis program as coach Dave Fish hopes to build a nationally ranked power.

"In the past we've only thought about the Ivies and peaking for Yale and Princeton," Bob Horne, number three man said. "Now we're building towards a national caliber team."

In addition to a change in goals, the tennis team has begun a new training policy.

Fish held organized practices four times a week throughout the winter, with an emphasis on conditioning and drills. "Grand Prix" matches allowed people lower on the ladder to develop their skills by competing with the top players.

"The players have improved much more than in recent years," Fish said, crediting captain Kevin Shaw, who "really got those guys to work."

The effectiveness of the winter workouts, however, will soon be heavily tested as the Crimson faces the University of California-Irvine and the UCal-Pepperdine, ranked fourth and tenth, respectively, in the nation, during the Spring trip.

Primed to Go

"In the past we've gone on Spring trips without any match experience, but this year we're ready," senior Scott Walker said.

Two weeks ago, Harvard snatched victory from the University of Virginia in a 5-4 cliffhanger decided by Jim Curley's 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5-4 in the tiebreaker) win in the number five spot.

Curley got some help from teammate Don Pompan, who proved he would have no problem filling in the vacancy left open by the graduation of last year's captain Todd Lundy.