The ITCA National Clay Court Championships in Panama City, Fla. in late September and the All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Cal. in late October are two additional tournaments for individual Crimson standouts.
Young and Experienced
While Graham said that the nucleus of this year's squad will consist of "non-freshmen", several freshmen should be key players in the singles and doubles lineup.
Although there are no seniors in the fall lineup, Co-Captain Melinda Wang refutes the idea that Harvard is an inexperienced team.
"Although we have a young team, we have a lot of experience," Wang said. "Melissa [McNabb] and Sam [Ettus] played so much last year that they should have matches under their belts. Erika [Elmuts], Rachel [Pollock] and I have played two years already. Erika deLone definitely has match experience and has had pressure on her before."
DeLone (please refer to feature story on page C-1), the 109th rated player in the world, will play at number-one, and will be among the nation's best number-ones at that. In fact, college play should be a level down for deLone, who regularly has played the likes of Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati during her not-for-profit tenure on the pro circuit this past year.
The second through sixth positions will be up for grabs, and will be dependent on the results of intrasquad challenge matches.
Graham said that he expects "big things" from sophomore Melissa McNabb, who was one of Harvard's top recruits two years ago. Look for McNabb in the upper half of the lineup.
Classmate Sam Ettus--who last year was the first player to win 20 games in a season since Jamie Henikoff '91 did so in 1988--also looks to be playing in a high position.
Graham said that he will be looking for "leadership from the returnees", namely the junior trio of Co-Captains Melinda Wang and Rachel Pollock and Erika Elmuts. The three have rotated positions four through eight in the past, and will be the senior members of the Crimson this year.
Newcomer Cisca Mok, an Oregoner who was ranked 27th in the under-16 girls rankings, will also challenge for a spot. Graham describes her as a "solid, back-court, aggressive baseliner." Mok won the Oregon state high school singles title four years in a row.
Classmate Katie Hatch, a lanky left-hander from Billings, Montana, comes to Harvard with experience from European tournaments. Graham said he expects Hatch "to be a kid who will develop a lot."
Fellow freshman Agatha Passent, the sixth-rated player in Poland, is a "solid doubles player" who plays "a good all-court game," Graham said.
Kendra Harris--a top-20 player in under-16 competition in Southern California--and Karen Todd--a local standout at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School--will also compete for a spot on the varsity squad