The Crimson (5-4) hoped to improve its record after a disappointing 6-1 loss to Yale in the ECAC tournament semifinals two weeks ago. But this weekend Harvard was unable to follow through and leave the Midwest with a win.

Crimson coach Traci Green noted the importance of the weekend, despite the disappointing results.

“This trip by design was to prepare us for the Ivy season,” Green said. “It did that much.”

ILLINOIS 5, HARVARD 2

Despite a lopsided loss at the hands of the No. 39 Fighting Illini, the No. 53 Crimson put on a strong showing at the Atkins Tennis Center. Yesterday afternoon’s match saw many long points and tight sets from the Harvard athletes.

“We knew [Illinois] was going to be tough for us,” Green said. “Quite a few matches didn’t go our way, but overall we competed very well.”

To open the afternoon, freshman Kristin Norton and junior captain Samantha Rosekrans were blanked, 8-0, by Illini Chelcie Abajian and Rachael White.

The other two doubles teams also lost at the hands of their Illinois opponents, thereby giving the doubles point to the Illini.

The Crimson looked to the singles matches to turn things around.

At the No. 3 position, Norton gained Harvard’s first point as she swept her opponent in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

In the No. 4 slot, Rosekrans and opponent Abajian swapped wins in the first two sets. Rosekrans took the first, 6-4, and Abajian easily captured the second, 6-0. The women were neck and neck through the beginning of the third, and at 5-3, it seemed as though Abajian was on the verge of a win. But Rosekrans persevered and turned her two-game deficit into a 7-5 win.

At the No. 1 position, No. 57 Holly Cao experienced her first singles loss of the season. Cao suffered her defeat after two close sets, losing 6-4, 6-3.

Despite her loss, Cao’s effort and dedication proved to have a large impact.

“Holly Cao played pretty well today, even though she lost,” Green said. “She played against a very tough opponent, and she really hung in there throughout her match. Her being on the court and persevering allowed Norton and Rosekrans to win their matches. It inspired them.”

Rosekrans alluded to this idea of teamwork in discussing her team’s strategy.

“[We’re trying to] feed off each other rather than playing individually, because that’s what a team does,” Rosekrans said. “We’re trying to get some solidarity going.”

At the No. 2 position, No. 115 sophomore Hideko Tachibana put forth a strong effort against No. 85 White. Tachibana lost a close first set, 6-4, and the second set saw potential for a comeback as the athletes swapped games, ultimately knotting the score at 5-5. But Tachibana could not hold on in the end, and she lost her second set, 7-5.

At No. 5, freshman Alexandra Lehman dropped her match in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. Sophomore Samantha Gridley likewise had a tough match at No. 6, losing 6-3, 6-2.

PURDUE 5, HARVARD 2

Coming into the match against unranked Purdue on Saturday, the Crimson felt confident in its skills and abilities. But the team came up short, garnering only two points from two singles victories.

“[The Boilermakers] were unranked, and we were going in as favorites,” Rosekrans said. “They brought everything they could. They had an amazing day, and I guess we weren’t prepared, so we lost the doubles point, which discouraged us going into singles. We came up short.”

In doubles, Rosekrans and Lehman teamed up for the sole victory, defeating Anna Dushkina and Remi Martin, 8-6.

At No. 1 singles, Cao continued her solid play, handily sweeping her opponent, 6-3, 6-1.

Norton in the No. 3 position served up the other singles win for Harvard, winning in three sets, 6-3, 0-6, 6-3.

Purdue’s athletes proved too much for Tachibana, Rosekrans, Lehman, and freshman Sophie Chang. The women all faced tough losses in their singles matches.

“This is all in preparation for the Ivy League season,” Rosekrans said. “It’s definitely good practice.”