Killer P’s Stop Crimson Streak at Two

Harvard women’s tennis had a chance to shake up the Ivy League standings when it took the court against No. 69 Penn (8-7, 3-1 Ivy) and Princeton (10-8, 3-2) this weekend. After opening its league schedule with two victories last week, the Crimson (2-14, 2-2) had solid momentum going into this pair of contests. A win in either match would have put Harvard in striking distance of the league leader.

Nevertheless, the Killer Ps crushed the Crimson’s hopes, as Harvard fell 6-1 to the Quakers on Friday and 4-3 to the Tigers on Saturday.

“We prepared very well for this weekend,” Harvard coach Traci Green said. “We definitely picked it up in terms of our intensity. They just played a little better than we did.”

On Friday, Penn dominated the singles portion by taking four matches in straight sets. The Quakers also grabbed the doubles point with easy wins at No. 1 and No. 3.

Against Princeton, the Crimson played well but could not pull out the victory. Both squads claimed three singles matches, but the Tigers earned the doubles point, and with it, the overall win.

This upcoming weekend, Harvard will face off against Yale, a team undefeated in league play.

“We’re going to be fired up and give it all we got,” Green said. “We believe that our doubles are strong, and if we compete hard, anything can happen. When our team plays with energy we’re tough to beat.”

PRINCETON 4, HARVARD 3

The doubles point decided the outcome of the match against Princeton.

At No. 1, freshman Samantha Rosekrans and junior Beier Ko earned a 9-8 victory to remain undefeated in the Ancient Eight. The duo leads the Crimson with seven wins.

“We communicate well and we have personalities that go together,” Ko said. “Sam finishes off the point and I set her up. We play well together.”

The strong performance by the tandem went to waste, however, since Harvard surrendered the doubles point by dropping the No. 2 and No. 3 matches.

Ko and Rosekrans also led the Crimson in the singles portion. At No. 1, Ko overwhelmed her opponent 6-3, 6-2 and in the No. 4 position, Rosekrans triumphed 7-6, 6-3. Junior Catriona Stewart earned Harvard’s final point with a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory.

The Tigers won their three singles points in straight sets at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6.

“I think the team played really well,” Ko said. “It was close and it could have gone either way.”

PENN 6, HARVARD 1

Penn handled the Crimson fairly easily on Friday.

“I feel like we didn’t play our best tennis against Penn,” Green said. “They got the better of us.”

The contest was the first outdoor match Harvard had played since its spring break trip to California. Because the Crimson has been practicing inside, the outdoor elements may have had a negative impact on the team’s play.

“Playing outdoors against Penn was tough,” Ko said. “The conditions affected us.”

In the singles portion, Harvard dropped four matches in straight sets. At No. 1, Ko lost 6-2, 6-0 and at No. 3, captain Stephanie Schnitter fell 6-3, 6-2 to end her four-match winning streak.

Rosekrans took down Michelle Mitchell 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 to earn the Crimson’s only point of the day. The freshman leads the team with four wins in Ivy League play and is undefeated in the Ancient Eight in both singles and doubles.

In doubles, Rosekrans and Ko won 8-5 at No. 2. The team of Ekaterina Kosminskaya and Julia Koulbitskaya, ranked No. 27 in the nation, evened up the score at No. 1 with an 8-1 win over Schnitter and junior Laura Peterzan. The Quakers then clinched the doubles point with a victory at No. 3.

“Penn had an overwhelming effect in singles but in doubles we were very close,” Green said.

—Staff writer Jake I Fisher can be reached at jifisher@fas.harvard.edu.