In doubles, Harvard won all three matches over Penn State. The top tandem of junior Nicky Hu and Beltrame won, 8-4, co-captain Alex Steinroeder and freshman Kenny Tao followed suit, 8-5, and junior Conor Haughey and Solomon cruised, 8-2.
“Last year when we played Penn State at this same tournament, we lost most matches to them,” Steinroeder said. “So we’re very happy, and it’s good to see such improvement from last year.”
The Crimson also played doubles against the Monarchs, picking up one of three contests. Beltrame and Solomon took their match, but the other two Harvard duos fell short against their Old Dominion counterparts.
On Saturday, Harvard took seven of its eight singles matches against the Monarchs, with the only loss being Beltrame’s defeat at the hands of No. 42 Carlos Lopez Villa. Six of the Crimson’s seven wins came in two sets.
In doubles, Harvard also turned in a strong showing, winning two of three over the Tribe. Hu and Beltrame fell in the top spot, but Steinroeder and Tao, along with Haughey and sophomore Andrew Ball, successfully captured their matches.
On Sunday, the Crimson prevailed in four of six singles matches against William & Mary. Beltrame took first singles, Tao and Ball cruised in two sets, and senior Shaun Chaudhuri came back to win a three-setter over Will Juggins.
Steinroeder also won, 6-4, 6-3, against the Nittany Lions’ Roman Trkulja, and Solomon fell in two sets.
Beltrame and Steinroeder, who went undefeated in singles on the weekend, both earned All-Tournament honors, while the team of Steinroeder and Tao took home All-Tournament doubles accolades.
The weekend presented a solid final opportunity for the Crimson to get quality matches in and solidify potential doubles pairings.
“I think the guys learned a lot this weekend, and we got some good matches in,” Steinroeder said. “We also made good progress in determining doubles pairings. I think four of six spots are set, but third doubles is up in the air.”
Harvard will now break for the winter until Jan. 17. Its spring season will start the same way its fall ended, as the squad’s first match comes against William & Mary.
“I think we progressed well this fall,” Steinroeder said. “Everyone has stayed healthy, and it’s been really good to see the freshmen develop…. If everyone [trains hard] over winter break, then we should be a pretty good team come spring.”
—Staff writer Justin C. Wong can be reached at justin.wong@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter at @justincwong94.