Harvard Caps Trip With An Easy Win

Harvard concluded its spring break trip on Saturday by taking on Fresno State in Fresno, Calif. In decisive fashion, the No. 51 Crimson women’s tennis team (8-6) swept its matches from the Bulldogs (0-12) to win, 7-0.

“Today’s match went very well,” Harvard coach Traci Green said. “We competed very well as a team, top-to-bottom.”

“I’m really proud of the way we stuck together and stayed mentally tough,” the coach added.

It was the team’s first shutout victory since it opened its spring season against Boston University in January.

“Everyone fought really hard today…We’ve been working really hard at practice,” freshman Hideko Tachibana said. “It’s finally paying off.”

Harvard began the afternoon by winning two of the three doubles matches to take the doubles point for the first time in four contests.

Sophomore Holly Cao and junior captain Samantha Rosekrans delivered an 8-3 win in the top doubles spot, while Tachibana and freshman Kristin Norton clinched the point with an 8-6 victory.

“We had a lot of energy,” Tachibana said of her doubles match. “We started off really well.”

“We were working on trying to close in and come to the net,” she added. “It was a tough match, and we pulled it out.”

After doubles play concluded, sophomore Sam Gridley set the tone for the singles round with a 6-3, 6-0 win in her first action of the road trip.

“She stepped in there at No. 6 today and was fired up from the very beginning,” Green said. “She fought all the way through and came through for the victory.”

Tachibana started off slowly at No. 2, dropping her first set 6-2.

Not one to go quietly, she fought her way to quick 6-1 wins in the second and third sets to give Harvard its third point of the afternoon and put it one away from clinching the match.

“I was not as prepared as I should have been,” Tachibana said. “But I stayed tough to pull out the second and third sets.”

Following Tachibana’s example, classmate Norton stayed strong through a close match. Norton won her first set handily, but the second set was neck-and-neck.

It eventually went into a tiebreak in which the Crimson rookie earned a tight victory to seal the fourth team point, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). Norton improves to 9-4 this year at No. 3.

“Kristin Norton clinched the match for us,” Green said. “We are really excited about coming away with the win.”

The matches following the decisive effort were no less exciting, as Harvard battled for every point it could get.

Rosekrans began her match against Melissa McQueen with a quick 6-2 victory but lost the second set by the same margin, pushing the match into a decisive third set.

But the captain was able to return to her winning ways in the final set to earn another 6-2 victory.

“It was a really exciting, back-and-forth match,” Green said. “Her opponent was playing really well, but Sam took control of the third set.”

No. 54 Cao improved to 10-2 at No. 1 this season with a 6-2, 7-5 win.

“Holly Cao is one of a kind,” Green said. “She’s been playing well.”

Cao missed the opportunity to play Fresno State’s top player, No. 10 Anastasia Petukhova, who has been out with an injury for the past month.

To complete the Crimson’s shutout, freshman Alexandra Lehman faced a tough match at No. 5, where she played for the first time this season. After winning the first set, 6-2, she dropped the next one, 6-3.

In the final set, with the score tied 5-5, Lehman won the next two games to claim the victory.

“She was using a lot of energy out there,” Green said. “Her mental toughness really pulled her through.”

Leaving California with a 2-1 record, Harvard will come home to begin Ivy League play beginning on Apr. 2.

“[The trip] was great for our squad,” Green said. “I think everyone improved. We will try to build on that momentum in the Ivy season.”

“We’re all really pumped up for the Ivies,” Tachibana said. “I think we’re ready.”

—Staff writer Eric L. Michel can be reached at emichel@fas.harvard.edu.