April 5, 2002

W. Tennis Travels to Harvard, Dartmouth

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Coming off a win against Columbia in its Ivy opener, the women’s tennis team hits the road again for two more Ivy League matches. Today the women play at Harvard and tomorrow at Dartmouth. The Red (11-3, 1-0 Ivy) bested the Lions last week 4-3. Harvard (4-7, 0-0) and Dartmouth (9-4, 0-0) also edged out 4-3 wins last week against No. 42 Pepperdine and Boston University, respectively.

“We’re geared up to play Harvard,” said head coach Angela Rudert. “[The team] is not holding back. We’re just going to go for it and put it out on the line.”

Harvard’s losing record is deceptive, as the Crimson’s schedule is much harder than either Cornell or Dartmouth’s, with matches against five top-25 programs, including No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Duke. Its lineup boasts three nationally ranked freshmen. The Crimson’s number one singles player, Courtney Bergman, is currently ranked 23rd in the country and captured the ITA Eastern Regional Championship back in October. Harvard will be one of the toughest opponents that the Red will face this spring.

“We’re excited for the challenge. It’s nice to be the underdog,” commented Rudert.

While not as strong a team as Harvard, Dartmouth will also pose a challenge for the Red. The Big Green have faced some tough opponents this spring, dropping contests to No. 2 Georgia and No. 51 Maryland. Last spring, the Red handed Dartmouth a convincing 6-1 defeat.

“We’re not underestimating Dartmouth. It’s always a bit tougher on the road,” Rudert said.

The netwomen return home next weekend to face No. 70 Brown on April 12 and No. 75 Yale on April 13 at Reis Tennis Center.

Archived article by Jonathan Auerbach