Netwomen Blank Red, Orange

Back to back matches.

In the middle of Reading Period.

In New York.

The Harvard women's tennis team didn't let such trivialities affect its performance, as the netwomen nabbed twin 9-0 wins over Cornell and Syracuse this weekend.

"Cornell was easy," Harvard's Kathy Vigna said.

So easy that Vigna, the Crimson's first racquet, didn't even play.

Harvard's Cindy Buchsbaum took over the top spot and tamed Cornell's Carolyn Savage in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. Erika Smith, playing in the second spot for Harvard, blanked her Big Red counterpart in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

Fellow Crimson netwomen dispatched their opponents with equal ease, with only one match going to three sets. Harvard's Robin Boss and Martha Berkman, playing second doubles, rebounded from a 4-6 defeat in the second set to shut out the Big Red in the third, 6-0.

Syracuse, coming off of a stunning 5-4 upset of Princeton last weekend, hosted Harvard Sunday. The Crimson showed the Orangewomen no mercy, thrashing their hosts, 9-0.

Vigna, at first singles, took Syracuse's Stephanie Rice to task. Vigna iced Rice in the first set, 6-0, and wrapped up the match with a 6-3 win.

Buchsbaum, Harvard's second racquet, crushed Carolyn Larkin in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. And Smith, playing in the third slot, stifled Melany Rosencrantz, 6-1, 6-0.

Competition got tough at fourth and fifth singles, but so did Harvard's Cyndy Austrian and Berkman. Austrian, playing fourth, squeaked by with a 7-5 victory in the first set, and ended the match with a 6-4 triumph over Carol Krausse.

The fifth spot results followed the same pattern: only the names were different. Berkman defeated Susan Rice of Syracuse in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

The Crimson's Kristin Bland clinched the team's perfect singles play, cruising by Amy Shift, 6-3, 6-2.

Syracuse's Rice and Shift joined forces at first doubles, taking on Harvard's dynamic duo of Smith and Vigna. The Crimson dished out a 6-1 defeat in the first set, but fell in the second, 7-6. Smith and Vigna bounced back in the third, however, 6-3.

Harvard's Boss and Berkman stole the match from Syracuse counterparts, 7-6, 6-1, and the Crimson's Austrian and Buchsbaum wrapped up play with 6-3 and 7-5 victories.

The netwomen will end their Ivy season Wednesday with a match against Princeton, their toughest regular season opponent. "A victory [over Princeton] is all that stands between us and the NCAAs," Harvard Coach Don Usher said.