Florida Squads Cruise to Easy Wins

The Harvard women’s tennis team escaped the Nor’easter that pounded New England this weekend to the warm and sunny climes of south Florida only to suffer a similar battering at the hands of Miami and Florida International, falling by identical scores of 7-0.

The Crimson was without senior Julia Forgie, who remained in Cambridge to finish her thesis, and sophomore Beier Ko, who was absent due to illness. Undermanned, Harvard forfeited both a doubles and a singles match, giving their opponents an advantage before a serve was even struck. With the losses, the Crimson fell to 1-9 on the season.

“We had a lot to adapt to,” freshman Lena Litvak said. “We only had four of our six starters. We all lack fitness and experience.”

This marked only the second time that Harvard played an outdoor match this season, while Miami and Florida International play outdoors year-round.

It was “a good effort, but [there was] too much talent on the other side of the net,” head coach Gordon Graham wrote in an e-mail.

With the losses, Harvard concluded the most difficult portion of its schedule. The team next travels to California over spring break to take on Pacific, Fresno State, and Sacramento State, none of which are currently ranked.

Harvard begins its Ivy League schedule at home against Penn on April 13.

“We took our beating,” Litvak said. “We put up with all that. It will be nice not to travel and to play teams we can play really close or beat.”

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 7,

HARVARD 0

Short two starters, Harvard fell, 7-0, to No. 27 Florida International (10-4) Saturday morning. It was the eighth ranked team that the Crimson has played in its first 10 matches.

In only their second match as doubles partners, Litvak and senior captain Preethi Mukundan pulled out the victory at the top doubles spot, 8-7 (7-3), to give the Crimson a much-needed boost of confidence at the start of the match.

“We both came in too tight,” Litvak said. “We were down five-love and almost came back to win our first match [against Miami]. It was great to see us come back here to win this match and win early in our doubles [partnership].”

However, that was all of the offense that Harvard mustered, with junior Vilsa Curto, also a Crimson editor, and freshman Elizabeth Brook falling 8-2 to give the doubles point to the Golden Panthers.

“FIU’s squad is perhaps the best they have had,” Graham wrote in an e-mail, “currently ranked No. 27, and for good reason—they are solid.”

Florida International dominated the singles as well. Litvak, ranked No. 107, fell, 6-0, 6-3, followed by Mukundan dropping a 6-3, 6-4 decision. Brook lost, 6-0, 6-1 at the third slot and Curto and sophomore Rachel Gottlieb were both bageled, 6-0, 6-0.

MIAMI 7, HARVARD 0

The NCAA runners-up from a year ago proved too much for the Crimson, as the No. 8 Hurricanes (12-2) rolled over Harvard Friday afternoon, 7-0.

The Crimson dropped the opening doubles point, with Brook and Curto falling at second doubles, 8-0.

Litvak and Mukundan, teaming up for the first time this spring, trailed 5-0 early in their match. They rallied, but ultimately fell short, losing 8-5.

Following a rain delay, the singles matches were all Miami. Litvak fell to No. 34 Audrey Bananada, 6-2, 6-4, in the top spot.

“I was really upset,” Litvak said. “I could have played much better. I didn’t feel my tennis was up where it should have been.”

Mukundan and Brook both lost their singles matches by identical scores of 6-2, 6-4 at the second and third spots, respectively. Curto fell, 6-1, 6-0, and Gottlieb lost, 6-0, 6-0, to give Miami the shutout win.