Injuries Plague Netmen...Again

Seasons change, feelings change, but some things always seem to remain the same.

As with last year, the main story for the Harvard men's tennis team is injuries...and lots of them.

Harvard, which finished last season fifth in the Eastern International Tennis Association with an Ivy record of 5-4 (11-9 overall), is hoping to regain the title this year for the first time since 1986.

The numerous injuries plaguing the Crimson have forced the team to experiment with various lineups and doubles pairings. Both Co-Captains Mark Leschly and Hank Parichabutr will miss the entire season with a wrist injury and elbow problems, respectively.

"It's a blow to lose Mark after he just established himself as one of the top players in the region," Harvard Coach Dave Fish said.

The Crimson does have a lot of depth in its returning players--Roger Berry, Ravi Kumar, Leon Palandjian and Robi Soni.

"These players have really made a commitment to the program," Fish said. "As a coach, it's wonderful to have watched their development within the program."

Berry, the most experienced member of the team, is playing number-one singles for the Crimson. He is currently ranked in the top-20 in the east in both singles and doubles play. Berry got his season off to a successful start last Sunday, defeating Temple's Joe Lizardo, 7-5, 7-6.

Sophomore Jonathan Cardi, who played in the number-one to number-three positions last year, is still nursing a shoulder problem that kept him out of match play for seven months.

Cardi is expected to see limited action for the first part of the season but should be one of the top players for the Crimson once he fully returns.

"The physical therapist said that I shouldn't play both singles and doubles at least until after the spring tour," Cardi said. "But we have a really solid team with the incredible talent that we have in the freshmen."

Like last year's squad, however, the Crimson is counting on strong play from several of its newer members.

"We're really excited about the upcoming season," Albert Chang said.

Harvard is blessed with an incredibly strong freshman class, including several nationally-ranked players.

"The competition between the team members is so strong that on any given day, any given player can upset anyone else," freshman Derek Brown said.

Brown should be a strong player for the Crimson. Ranked number one in the Eastern Tennis Association 16-and-under division and 10th nationally, he reached the finals of the New England "B" singles tournament this fall.

Two of the top freshman prospects, however, are recovering from injuries. Mike Zimmerman, who played in the number-two singles position for the team in the fall, did not play in last Sunday's match because of wrist and shoulder problems.

Teammate Mike Shyjan, one of the top-ranked Coach:  Dave Fish Captains:  Mark Leschly, Hank Parichabutr Last Year:  (11-9, 3-4) 1989 Record:(1-0, 0-0) The Schedule

March Thu, 23-  at U.C.-Irvine Tourney  -- Sun, 26  (at Irvine, Ca.)  -- Wed, 29  at U.C.L.A.  11:00 a.m. Thu, 30  at San Diego State  2:00 p.m. Fri, 31  at U.S. International  1:30 p.m.

April Fri, 7  PENNSYLVANIA  2:00 p.m. Sat, 8  COLUMBIA  1:00 p.m. Sat, 15  at Navy 1:00 p.m. Sun, 16  at West Virginia  1:00 p.m. Fri, 21  YALE  2:00 p.m. Sat, 22  BROWN  1:00 p.m. Tue, 25  at Dartmouth  2:00 p.m. Fri, 28  at Army  3:30 p.m. Sat, 29  at Cornell  1:30 p.m.

May Wed, 3  at Princeton  1:00 p.m. junior players in New England, is recoveringfrom a groin injury. Both Zimmerman and Shyjanshould be healthy once the EITA season getsunderway.

"This is the best freshman class we've hadsince I've been at Harvard," Fish said. "And thedepth is pretty remarkable, as well."

The Crimson roster also includes the formernumber-one junior player in Canada, Chang, whocombined with Shyjan in the fall to reach thefinals of the New England "A" Championships.

Tough Stuff

The toughest EITA opposition for Harvard shouldcome from West Virginia, the number-one team inthe eague, and Columbia, which boasts thenumber-one player in the league, Jeff Chang.

"We've been told that we're a great team, andthe upcoming season will give us an opportunity toprove it," Brown said.

During its trip to California over springbreak, the Crimson will face some of the top teamsin the nation. It will spend its first three daysparticipating in the U.C.-Irvine Tournamentagainst teams such as UCLA, the top-ranked team inthe nation. U.C.-Irvine is ranked seventh in thecountry.

The team will also visit San Diego State andthe University of San Diego.

Harvard's Ivy season begins April 7, when thesquad hosts Penn at 2 p.m