Providence is an obscure city. Just ask the Harvard women's tennis team.

The netwomen took on Brown yesterday, but had more trouble locating their opponents then beating them. After visiting Cape Cod on the pretense of taking a short cut to Providence, the Crimson arrived too late to warm up, but still managed to breeze past the home team, 6-2.

Not that the late arrival didn't initially hurt Harvard. Playing in cold and windy weather, the netwomen fell behind in a few early matches but got into form soon enough to win five of the six singles matches.

Erica Schulman, playing at third singles, dropped the first set but rebounded to take the next two and the match, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The freshman was at first unable to anticipate Bruin Nancy Stoker's effective drop shots, but began reading them after the first set, neutralizing her opponent's favorite weapon.

Following Schulman's example. Meg Meyer also succumbed in the first set, 6-4, in the fifth slot. Afterwards, however, opponent Trisha Stone could only garner two games, leading to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 triumph for Meyer.

The Crimson also won in the first two positions, with Tiina Bougas dismantling Ellie Freeman 6-0, 6-2, and Maria Pe conquering Nancy Nyquist, 7-5, 6-4. For the Californian Pe, the match marked her fifth straight Ivy win in singles without a defeat.

Only Martha Roberts failed to come back after a first set loss. Playing number four, Harvard's captain did come close, hanging tough against Brown's Kate McCall before sinking, 6-0, 7-5.

Less Fortunate

With a 5-1 lead at the end of singles play, the netwomen struggled before winning at first doubles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Less fortunate were Tiina Bougas and Erica Schulman, who blew a 4-2 first set lead in losing their first Ivy match at doubles, 6-4, 6-1. The third doubles match was called due to darkeness after Meyer and Debbie Kalish won the first set, 7-5.

Having upped their record to 3-2. Harvard moves on to the Ivy League Championships this weekend in Hanover, N.H., on a positive note.

Considering that the Crimson's two losses have been 5-4 decisions to Yale and Princeton. "The team has a very good chance of winning," captain Roberts said yesterday.

"The team is pretty much up for the Ivies--we certainly have the potential to win it all," Bougas added.