Harvard Falls Short In Season-Opening Loss

The Harvard women’s tennis team opened up its spring season last Saturday with a down-to-the-wire thriller against Boston University.

With the overall team score tied, 3-3, the final point came down to freshman Samantha Gridley’s match in the No. 5 singles position.

The freshman dropped the first set, 7-6, but then forced a decisive final frame by taking the second set, 7-5. Despite a hard-fought battle, Gridley ultimately fell in the third-set tiebreaker. The defeat gave the Terriers a 4-3 victory over the Crimson.

Although the loss was not the desired outcome, Harvard displayed potential in its showing, providing the Crimson players with reason for optimism.

“We played a good first match,” said senior Beier Ko, who is Harvard’s No. 1 player and is currently ranked No. 64 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. “We were a little bit rusty, haven’t practiced much because of finals, and also there were some nerves. But, we did well as a group.”

The match against BU started out on a high note for Harvard. In the doubles portion, the Crimson took two out of the three matches and earned the first point of the contest. In the No. 2 position, Ko and sophomore Agnes Sibilski grabbed an 8-4 victory. The freshman tandem of Gridley and Camille Jania triumphed, 8-3, in the No. 3 spot.

“The doubles tactics paid off, and we executed,” Harvard coach Traci Green said. “That’s one of our goals—to focus on doubles points and come out aggressively.”

In the ensuing singles portion, the Crimson won two of the first four matches to take a 3-2 lead. Jania and sophomore Samantha Rosekrans suffered straight-set defeats in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively, but in the No. 1 slot, Ko easily did away with Stefanie Nunic, 6-1, 6-1.

“Beier Ko is our clear No. 1,” Green said. “She was pumped up, fired up the whole match. She’s our leader out there.”

At No. 6, freshman Louise Laciny edged out her opponent 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

Laciny’s win in the No. 6 position and Gridley’s battle at No. 5 are good long-term signs for the Crimson. Last season, Harvard struggled to get consistent production from the bottom of the lineup. This year, a batch of new freshmen will look to provide more depth.

“I saw a lot of great things, especially out of our freshman,” Green said. “The future is bright. I think right now we have more depth this year. Anyone can be called on to pull out a win for the team.”

Ko also noted the importance of the Crimson rookies.

“They’ve worked really hard over the fall and really integrated,” Ko said. “They are definitely part of the team right now.”

In the No. 2 position, co-captain Laura Peterzan fell 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Gridley was the last hope for a Harvard win, but she too was bested in a close tiebreaker. It was a tough position for Gridley, who was making her collegiate dual-match debut, but her effort impressed her coach.

“She hung in there all the way,” Green said. “We’re just talking about a couple points. I know she’s going to bounce back and come up even stronger.”

Gridley is one of several freshmen who will make an impact for the team this season. Three first-years started against BU, and the rest have made an impression.

One rookie, Holly Cao, did not play against the Terriers, but her preseason success demonstrates that she will likely be a major contributor to the middle of Harvard’s singles lineup. Sibilski may also see time in a starting singles position.

The Crimson will continue its spring season in two weeks at the ECAC Team Tournament in Hanover, N.H. Harvard will play a two-month preseason schedule before starting Ivy League play in April.

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