Women's tennis' year rides on matches this weekend

The women's tennis team's spring record currently stands at 12-0. The last time Princeton started off with 12 straight wins was in 1973, when current head coach Louise Gengler '75 was only a sophomore.

But the Tigers (14-2 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) still have a daunting task to overcome – winning this weekend's matches against Dartmouth and Harvard. If Princeton takes both games, the Tigers would clinch the Ivy League title and be only one match away from an undefeated season. But if Princeton loses both, the Tigers will be among a pack of teams playing second fiddle to the Crimson.

The Big Green (9-4, 1-1) boasts last year's Ivy rookie of the year, Rebecca Dirksen, while the No. 26 Crimson have Ivy Wang, who is currently ranked among the top 20 players in the nation and is the best in the league. In fact, Harvard (12-6, 2-0) almost pulled the upset of the year earlier this season, losing a 5-4 decision to No. 1 Stanford.

"(Harvard's) definitely different from the other Ivies – they're a step up from Dartmouth," Gengler said.

Once bitten

But Princeton has already beaten the 26th-ranked team once this season. March 18, the then-No. 70 Tigers rallied from a 4-2 deficit after singles, winning all three doubles matches to beat San Diego State.

If Princeton, now ranked 43rd, is going to top the Crimson, it will have to win the same way. Harvard will be favored to win each of the six singles matches.

Sophomore No. 3 Amanda Hastings-Phillips owns a victory over Harvard's Vedica Jain, who has played mostly at the No. 3 spot this spring. Otherwise, the Tigers don't own any head-to-head wins.

Unblemished

One match in which Gengler is probably not expecting a Princeton victory is at the top spot, where sophomore Blair Farr will be matched up against Wang. Farr, however, is undefeated in singles play this spring, including a victory over Penn's No. 1, Anna Pozdniakova. Farr had never beaten the top Quaker, one of the league's best players.

"(Farr) has really picked it up a step," Gengler said. "She's starting to get a better feel for the court, her game and what she can do. She's been playing a little more relaxed out there on the court."

The Tigers will have their best chances to win in the doubles portion, where they will be led by Farr and junior Kerry Patterson – the top Ivy doubles team according to the national rankings. Meanwhile, sophomore Jyotsna Vasisht and junior Olivia Streatfeild are coming off an 8-0 doubles victory at No. 1 over Seton Hall Monday and will also be favored, playing at No. 2.

Solo struggles

Vasisht and Streatfeild, however, face uphill battles in singles. Vasisht will face Gabriela Hricko while Streatfeild will take on either Rosemary She or Vain. Rosemary She usually plays at No. 3, but due to a wrist injury, she has sat out of singles matches of late. Both Hricko and She were among the top players in the Northeast region last year.

But if the Tigers are able to win a couple of matches at the bottom of the draw and take a couple of the doubles matches, Princeton may earn its first Ivy title since 1994.