Netmen Gain Momentum With Win Over Penn State

Now hallway through the outdoor portion of its season, the Harvard men's tennis team is still looking for some tough Eastern competition. Since returning from their spring binge through the West, the netmen have downed Navy 9-0, Dartmouth 7-0, and--most recently at Soldier's Field Stadium--Penn State 9-0. And though the easy victories have helped bolster the squad's confidence, the Eastern opposition has not demanded much from the Crimson.

With a 7-4 record (11-4 including winter play) to show, the Crimson seems to be gaining more confidence in its playing ability. Though unable to pull off any major wins on the California tour, the netmen did top high ranked San Diego State and came close to beating UCLA, one of the nation's most highly-touted squads Harvard's goal is to master a consistent winning pattern so that when tough competition comes along in a couple of weeks, the players won't have to psych themselves up, but simply play their best tennis routinely.

"These matches we've been playing give us a chance to loosen up a bit," Crimson third seed Dave Beckman explained. "They help with concentration and confidence. Hopefully they'll also make us more prepared for teams like Princeton and Yale." The Elis and Tigers have provided Harvard's toughest competition in the East for the last ten years. Harvard will meet both squads in several weeks.

Against Penn State Saturday, the Crimson put each of its competitors away quite handily. "I think we're showing an ability to focus solidly on a match and play these guys one-on-one and win," Harvard Coach Dave Fish said. Most team members felt their Penn State opponents weren't very strong in singles.

All-American Howard Sands, who had originally been slated not to play because of an ankle injury suffered the previous day against Dartmouth, seemed a bit cautious in his play. Nevertheless, he toppled Penn State's Jeff Factor, 6-4, 6-2 to take the number-one singles showdown. Factor hit few winners and could only retrieve Sand's more carefully placed shots. A lankily-built player, Factor had trouble bending down for some low shots, and as he became more frustrated, he was distracted by the sunshine and nearly everything around him. Sands continued to play consistently strong.

In doubles play, Harvard used several new match-ups to sweep the Nittany Lions. "We've been experimenting all season, trying to get together three really strong pairs," Fish said. "We've had two strong ones in the past, but we need three." The only paid that had played together before was Warren Grossman and Rob Loud in the number two slot. The duo downed Penn State's Bryan Crist and Brad Shobakon, 6-4, 6-2. "They were an O K team that took a while to get going: they really didn't measure up to some of our California competition," Loud said afterward.

Sands paired with Yardling Larry Scott in the first doubles to beat Factor and Virgil Christias. Penn State's second singles player, 6-2, 7-5. Factor and Christias had defeated the NCAA doubles champs earlier this season. "I think that's a good indication of what we can do together, to not have played a match together and beat these guys, who were very strong," Scott said.

In third doubles, Beckman teamed with Captain Adam Beren in another new matchup and won 6-1, 6-1 over Dwayne Hultquist and Brad Rush. "I think Adam and I complement each other's playing styles very well," Beckman said.

Singles

1. Howard Sands (H) d. Jeff Factor (PS) 6-4, 6-2; 2. Warren Grossman (H) d. Virgil Christias (PS) 6-2, 6-1; 3. Dave Beckman (H) d. Howard Beckman (PS) 6-2, 6-1; 4. Adam Beren (H) d. Dwayne Hultquist (PS) 6-1, 6-0; 5. Larry Scott (H) d. Bryan Crist (PS) 6-4, 6-2; 6. Rob Loud (H) d. Brad Rush (PS) 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles

1. H. Sands, L. Scott (H) d. J. Factor, V. Christias (PS) 6-2, 7-6; 2. W. Grossman, R. Loud (H) d. B. Crist, B. Shobakon (PS) 6-4, 6-2; 3. D. Beckman, A. Beren (H) d. D. Hultquist, B. Rush (PS) 6-4, 6-2.