Netmen Throttle Nittany Lions, 7-0

The Harvard's men's tennis team routed Penn State yesterday in an exciting match.

The blustery Cambridge weather dimmed Penn State's hopes of victory, as the home court advantage proved to dominate over the visitors by a 7-0 score.

"It was more of a tribute to the way we played then to how bad they were," junior Mitty Arnold said.

Penn State had played well in its most recent matches, and Harvard was expecting a tough contest. The Crimson had recently returned from a tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, and was worn out from the competition.

But travel fatigue could not dampen Harvard's talent quotient, and the head-to-head match provided an energy overhaul, retooling spirits and exciting the team about upcoming matches.

Playing first singles, senior and co-captain Todd Meringoff faced Penn State's Michael Carter. After winning the opening set and losing the second set, Meringoff emerged with the win after a close third set, in which Meringoff bested Carter 7-6.

The Crimson continued winning down the singles ladder, as sophomore Philip Tseng beat Penn State's Michael Greiser. Greiser posed little challenge for Tseng, who won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Arnold, playing third singles, was victorious in a straight-set victory over Penn State's Collin Smeeton, 6-4, 7-5.

With sophomore Tom Blake winning his match in the fourth singles slot, freshman Elliot Weiss winning 6-3, 6-4 in the fifth slot and freshman Kunj Majmudar winning 6-2, 6-2 in the sixth slot, the Crimson had topped the fiercest competition the Nittany Lions had to offer.

"It's good that everyone concentrated and played well today," Arnold said.

Harvard continued its winning spree all through the doubles encounters. Playing first doubles, Meringoff and Arnold won, 8-4.

This triumphant margin echoed into the second doubles match, which paired Blake and Tseng. For its ultimate doubles match, the Crimson placed junior co-captain Josh Hausman on the court with Majmudar, a team that won by an 8-5 count.

"We have been switching the line-up around a little bit because we have nine guys on the team and only six can play singles at a time," Arnold said. "Everyone on the team is playing well now, and the challenge matches [for team positioning] have been back-and-forth and very close."

The tennis team is now preparing for its upcoming tournament at Corpus Christi. This will be the Crimson's first outdoor match since the fall.

Meringoff credited Harvard's fine play for the domination of Penn State.

"In general, we were sharper all the way through, and we're building for Corpus Christi," he said. Penn State  0 Harvard  7