Advertisement

W. Tennis Thwarted by W&M

Harvard falls in Regionals to Tribe; Nabs Second Place in Ivies

The unanimous first team All-Ivy doubles tandem of Hricko and Majmudar could not find the "W," but a solid 8-6 doubles performance by Wang and She in the No. 1 slot helped the struggling Crimson cause. The match then came down to the No. 3 doubles team of Jain and Kim.

An emotional 8-4 win by the Crimson duo gave Harvard the win. It was the team's 20th win of the season, equalling a program record.

"The Alabama match was the toughest for us. It was the most heart we put into a match," Majmudar said.

With Alabama behind it, the Crimson could finally concentrate on the Tribe, which had cruised through its two earlier rounds, 5-0. One of those impressive routs involved Ivy champion Brown, which had defeated Harvard just two weeks before take the Ivy title.

Would William & Mary make it three straight shutouts?

Advertisement

"I don't think that we were thinking in terms of ranking," Majmudar said. "From day one we wanted to win regionals and that was our goal--or at least to have that chance to be able to go to nationals."

Harvard gave the Tribe a run for its money with a split in the singles matches, but the doubles proved to be the final nail in the Crimson coffin.

Once again Harvard had difficulty in the top singles positions as it was beaten in the first two spots. Last year, Wang stunned Nikolaus during the Crimson's 19-5 campaign, but history was not meant to repeat itself, as the Nikolaus cruised by Wang, 6-1, 6-2. She had similar disappointing luck against Michelle O, 6-3, 6-2.

Harvard rallied with two three-set victories at the No. 3 and 4 spots with Hricko (6-2, 3-6, 6-4) and Majmudar (4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2)), which caused the split.

Doubles proved futile for the Crimson as it dropped all three matches and subsequently saw its season end on the Brown courts.

The final loss does not detract from yet another solid season for the Crimson, however. Its 6-1 spring Ivy record was good enough for second place in league, while its 20-6 overall mark elevated Harvard to No. 28 in the nation.

The Rolex Regional Indoor Championships hosted by William & Mary back in November was where the Harvard players shined and proved that they belong among the nation's best.

Wang reached the championship of the 96-player women's singles competition, thus qualifying for the national indoor championships. Wang had to get by Ivy League Player of the Year Trishna Patel of Brown in a grueling three-set match. Although Wang fell in the final round match against O, she had already qualified for the nationals.

In addition to Wang's achievements, the doubles tandem of Hricko and Majmudar battled their way to the semifinals.

"It was a very good tournament for us," said head coach Gordon Graham after the tournament. "On a 10-point scale, I'd give it an eight."

Once again, both Wang and the Hricko-Majmudar qualified for the national tournament in the spring.

The Crimson looks to be dangerous once again next year as it loses only one player in Majmudar. Her loss, however, will be a blow to both the singles and doubles team.

"It's really hard to walk away knowing that I am the only senior," Majmudar said. "[The players] are definitely my closest friends, but it's time to go."

Harvard's top three singles players will be back next year and look to move higher up the ranks both on an individual and team level.

Perhaps with another year of experience, the Crimson will be able to avenge its loss to William & Mary and start a new trend at the East Regionals.

Advertisement