The men’s and women’s tennis teams are looking to end on a high note as they play their final two scheduled matches of the season this weekend. Both teams will be matched up against Ivy League foes Penn and Princeton on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The men’s team currently finds itself in a three way tie for third place in the overall Ivy League standings — the Red (9-8, 2-3 Ivy), Princeton and Penn all have identical 2-3 records. The matches this weekend will be the key to determining the final league standings.
The Red will try and ride the momentum it generated from last weekend’s come-from-behind win over Yale as it travels to Penn for an afternoon match tomorrow. The Quakers (14-6, 2-3 Ivy) have lost three of their last four matches in the Ivy League after opening its season with a victory over Princeton. The Red took care of Penn a year ago — defeating the Quakers 5-2 in the final match of the season — and will be looking to repeat its success this weekend.
From there, the Red will return home to host Princeton Sunday. The Tigers (13-7, 2-3 Ivy) have split their last four decisions and will be looking to get back on the winning track with the visit to Reis Tennis Center. Almost a year ago to the day, the Tigers handed the Red a bruising defeat when they emerged victorious with a 6-1 decision. This time around, the Red will be looking to get its revenge.
To win this weekend, the team knows it will need to play its best tennis, and focus on a few specifics that may ultimately decide the Red’s fate.
“Winning the doubles point would be a huge advantage for us,” said freshman Rory Heggie. “Along with that, the top of our lineup needs to have a good weekend. If both of these things happen, we should have a pretty good shot at beating both [Penn and Princeton] this weekend.”
If the Red wins both of its matches, it would end the season above .500 in league play.
“Sweeping this weekend would put us at 4-3 [in the Ivy’s] which hasn’t happened in a [while],” Heggie said. “If we win at Penn, and get a big crowd at home against Princeton, we can win both [matches] and end the season above .500. That’s [an accomplishment] everybody would be excited about.”
The women’s team, currently last in the Ivy League, will be looking to end its season by putting its best foot forward against both weekend opponents. The Red (9-7, 1-4 Ivy) will be tested with faceoffs against two top-tier division rivals.
The women will have their hands full as they host Penn this afternoon. The Quakers (9-6, 3-2 Ivy) are riding high, as they have won three of their last four Ivy matches — positioning themselves in the top half of the Ivy League standings. The last time these two teams squared off, the Quakers got the best of the Red, winning the match 5-2.
On Sunday the Red will be in Princeton, N.J., for its match against Princeton. Comparable to Penn, Princeton will be a tough match for the Red. The Tigers (9-8, 3-2 Ivy) started off the Ivy season with two wins, but have been in a slum recently, dropping two of their last three matches.
Archived article by Ben Kopelman
Sun Staff Writer