It was the same old story for the Harvard men's tennis team. Up against perennial national powerhouse Stanford in the first round of the NCAA team tournament in Athens, Ga., Saturday, most team members felt that they could have won if they had played on Stanford's level of tennis most of the season.

After one dual match, the Crimson headed back with a 6-1 loss, ready for exams.

The same thing happened a year ago. The Crimson met UCLA in the first round, lost, and saw UCLA go on to win the tourney. When Harvard received its first invitation to the tournament three years ago, it was Peperdine that dealt the fatal blow.

"It's tough to go up against schools at that level when you haven't been playing competition like that all year," sophomore Dave Beckman explained.

Coming off of a season-ending upset of ninth-ranked Clemson, many netmen realized they were capable of beating Stanford if they could elevate their games. But that knowledge made everyone play a tighter game of tennis.

"Everyone felt we could win, and I think that made us a little more tentative," junior Rob Loud said. "I think we were afraid to win," he added.

Warren Grossman pulled off the Crimson's only win, battling back from a first set loss. After being up a break in the first set, he went down and lost the set, 4-6.

"That sort of thing usually makes a player really frustrated and discouraged," Coach Dave Fish said. "But Warren just came right back and didn't get down." Taking the second set, 6-3, Grossman went up a break early in the third set and served out the match, 6-3.

Crimson number one Howard Sands lost to Stanford's Scott Davis, a player Fish said is "probably the best guy in the country." As a pro prospect. Davis has beaten the likes of Jimmy Connors. "Howard played great, but didn't get close enough to him," Fish said.

Stanford's team packed most of its force with four freshmen who had high junior ratings last year. But Harvard's more experienced lineup did not have the competitive level to match.

"We should have been ready for them, but we weren't." Captain Adam Beren said. "It's hard to be better when you don't have that kind of competition challenging you all year."

Beren also lost the first set of his match, but managed to take the second quite handily, only to go down in the third, losing 4-6, 6-2, 2-6. "I thought I was going to win, but I rushed points. I tried to end them too quickly--I should have had more patience."

The Harvard NCAA tournament history has been so disappointing because the Crimson has never been seeded among the 16 teams invited to the tourney, and when the squad's card is drawn from the hat for pairings. Harvard invariably gets paired with a top team. This year the victory over Clemson, which would have heightened chances for a high ranking came too late, and the Crimson's early-season California jaunt didn't produce any upsets over top-ranked squads.

Stanford 6, Harvard 1

Singles

1 Scott Davis (S) d. Howard Sands 6-0, 6-4; 2. Warren Grossman (H) d. John Letts 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; 3. Dan Golble (S) d. Dave Beckman 6-4, 6-2; 4. Eric Piosenteld (S) d. Adam Beren 6-4, 2-6, 6-2: 5. Mark Mckean (S) d. Rob Loud 6-4, 6-4; 6. Jim Grabb (S) d. Larry Scott 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles

1 E. Rosenteld D. Golbie d. A. Beren D. Beckmany 6-4, 6-2. Other matches eliminated because of time limitations.