Netwomen Win, 7-2, Even Season Mark

While wind gusted across snowy outdoor courts yesterday, the Harvard women's tennis team was red hot inside Palmer Dixon as it drubbed an outclassed Dartmouth, 7-2.

The win evened the Crimson's season record at 4-4 and, more significantly, gave the team a 2-0 Ivy League mark while serving as a tuneup for Saturday's match against Yale.

Harvard won five of the six matches in straight sets, some by lopsided scores (Maria Pe. 6-1, 6-0), and others with more drama Debbie Kaufman, down 5-4 in her second set, ran off three straight games to take the no 4 match, 6-2. 7-5.

In the only singles loss of the event, no 3 player Tiina Bougas, an All-Ivy veteran, suffered a surprising defeat to Dartmouth's Kate Rugen by a 6-2, 7-5 count

The afternoon's greatest excitement came at second doubles, where Harvard's team of Kaufman and Pe prevailed in three sets. Harvard seemed on its way to a rout after Kaufman and Pe took the first set 6-0, but Debbie Willing and Rugen fought back to win the second set in a tense 9-7 tiebreaker.

The momentum shifted back to Harvard, however, as Kaufman and Pe won the deciding set, 6-2, to send the crowd home happy.

Coach Don Usher said he will use essentially the same lineup. Elizabeth Evans at no I and Erica Schulman playing no 2 in New Haven this weekend.

Following yesterday's win and Saturday's 7-2 defeat of Penn. Harvard seems ready to contend with Yale and Princeton for the Ivy League title.

Harvard's finish ahead of Yale in a tournament earlier this season and the departure of Princeton's no, 1 player. Andrea Leand, gives Usher hope that the Crimson can beat both schools in head-to-head matches.

Last spring, Harvard lost to each by a narrow 5-4 score.

"For us, Princeton and Yale are the really big matches." Usher continued yesterday, saying both matches should again be close "unless we have four term papers due that weekend."

Princeton's Leand, on the verge of becoming one of the world's top 10 players, turned professional last year after scoring a string of upsets in the U.S. Open. Asked how he felt about Leand's forsaking her college eligibility. Usher said, "glad is not the word for it. (Only) some girl who practices four hours a day at USC could give her a good match."

Harvard 7, Dartmouth 2

at Palmer Dixon Courts

Singles 1 Elizabeth Evans (H) def Wendy Wassow 6-2 6-3 2 Erica Schulman (H) def Debbie Whiling 6-1 6-4 3 Kate Rugen (D) def Tina Bougas 6-2 7-5 4 Debbe Kaufman (H) def Diane Henry 6-2 7-5 5 Maria Pe (H) def Alice Van Meter 6-1 6-0 6 Deanne Loonin (H) def Valene Hartman 6-1 6-4.

Doubles--1 Evans Schulman (H) def Wasson Henry 6-2 7-5 2 kaufman-Pe (H) def Willing Rugen 6-0 6-7 6-2 3 Hartman Van Meter (D) def Nina Van Dyke Kristen Mertz 6-4 6-3.