Tourney Time Begins At Home

It has been nearly one year to the day that the No. 19 Harvard women’s tennis team reached the NCAA tournament, only to be upset by Ohio State in the first round. It has been only two years, however, since the team stormed its way into the Round of 16.

The Crimson (17-6, 7-0 Ivy) is determined not only to match the efforts of two years past, but to surpass them, starting with its first-round match against No. 42 Maryland (11-11) this afternoon at the Beren Tennis Center.

“We are really excited to be hosting the NCAAs this weekend,” senior Alexis Martire said. “It is our first stepping stone to get to Athens [Ga., site of the Sweet 16], and we know that we can do it.”

Today’s contest will be Harvard’s first since Apr. 27, when the Crimson defeated Dartmouth to sweep the Ivy season for a consecutive third year.

Championships aside, Harvard is well aware that the competition it encounters in the NCAA tournament is a step up from that faced in the Ivy League.

“We’re really getting into the tough part of our season, and we know we have to raise our level of tennis,” co-captain Courtney Bergman said.

Although Maryland lost to some of the top opponents that the Crimson defeated this season, such as high-powered, No. 5 Georgia Tech and No. 13 North Carolina, the Terrapins posted some impressive victories against big-name schools such as No. 15 Duke and No. 28 Wake Forest (13-10), all of whom are competing in this year’s tournament.

“Maryland is a team that grinds out a lot of points, fights hard and keeps a lot of balls in play,” Harvard coach Gordon Graham said. “[The match] will be a really good test for us.”

And with the 4-2 first-round loss to Ohio State still fresh on their minds, Crimson players aren’t taking anything for granted.

“Maryland definitely has some good wins this year,” junior Eva Wang said. “Although they’re ranked [No.] 42, I wouldn’t overlook their ranking.”

Today’s match will not only be played at home—which the team considers a critical advantage—but it should also feature a complete and healthy Harvard lineup, something the Crimson has not had in quite a while due to pestering injuries across the board.

Bergman and fellow co-captain Susanna Lingman, Harvard’s 1-2 singles punch, each sat out several times this season, but both are back and at full strength. Sophomore Elsa O’Riain, who suffered a knee injury against North Carolina and has since been on and off the singles court, is also expected to play at the No. 4 position. Freshman Celia Durkin, junior Melissa Anderson, and senior Alexis Martire will also play singles at the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 positions, respectively.

“The key is that we’ve got the top people in the lineup,” Graham said. “Things have to come together for us, and hopefully they will.”

On the doubles side, the highly successful No. 1 pair of Durkin and Anderson will be joined by Bergman and O’Riain at No. 2 and Lingman and Wang at No. 3.

Sophomore Preethi Mukundan, who has been consistent in singles play this season, is listed at the No. 7 position, followed by Wang at No. 8.

If necessary, either of these players could substitute in the sixth spot. The Crimson considers its strength in all positions an asset.

“We’ve gotten where we are largely because we have good depth and good doubles,” Graham said. “These are two of the strengths of the team.”

Should it come away victorious against Maryland, the Crimson will face either Tennessee or Boston University in the second round on Saturday. A weekend sweep would propel Harvard to the Sweet 16, which will be held at the University of Georgia.

If Harvard does make the trip South, it will very likely face top-ranked Stanford, winner of 21 straight matches in an undefeated season. The Cardinal knocked the Crimson out of the Round of 16 in 2003.

“This is a team that’s got high aspirations and a chance to do fun things,” Graham said. “We have to keep winning to do that, though.”

—Staff writer Barbara R. Barreno can be reached at barreno@fas.harvard.edu.