Disappointing Ivy season closes with weekend split for w. tennis

It could have been worse.

But, it also could have been better, and the women's tennis team is the first to admit this.

The Tigers finished their Ivy season this weekend with a loss against Columbia on Friday and a win against Cornell on Sunday. The squad has now compiled a record of 7-10 overall and 3-4 in Ivy play.

This record is not horrible by any means. The Tigers played some tough competition, both inside and outside of Ivy League play. And their final record does not reflect the high number of close sets and matches, or the amazing upsets of some quality players.

But the team is not satisfied.

They wanted more — much more.

"In some ways the season was good, and in other ways it was disappointing," sophomore Kavitha Krishnamurthy said. "We wanted to defend our [Ivy] title, and we didn't do that. We also wanted to go undefeated in the Ivy League, and that didn't happen either. Even though some good things came out of the season, there are definitely some things that we are going to have to work on."

In spite of some spurts of disappointing play, the Tigers have come into every weekend playing hard and expecting the win. This past weekend's contests against Columbia and Cornell were no different.

Playing in the No. 1, 2 and 3 singles spots, respectively, seniors Gailor Large and Kristi Watson and junior Priya Bhuphathi all won their matches against Columbia. However, the remaining three Princeton players all dropped their matches to their Lion opponents.

Although the doubles team of Large and freshman Avanti Bhargava won their match, the other two doubles teams dropped theirs, giving Columbia the crucial doubles point and the 4-3 win.

Although Princeton had to adjust to the indoor clay court at Columbia, Krisnamurthy does not point to this as an excuse for their loss. She also stressed the fact that the Tigers did not let the disappointing loss against the Lions carry over into their match Sunday against Cornell.

Playing the Big Red at the Lenz Tennis Center, Princeton focused on nothing but a victory when they defeated Cornell, 5-2. Large, Watson, Bhupathi, senior Anne Coates and freshman Jackie Arcario all decisively won their singles matches.

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Although Cornell grabbed the doubles point, it was not enough to steal the victory from Princeton.

Defeating Cornell in their final home match put a positive end on an otherwise lackluster Ivy season.

"We are glad to be able to end our Ivy season on a good note," Krishnamurthy said. "And even though we didn't do as well as we wanted to, it's good that we know exactly what we need to work on for next season."

Princeton plays its final contest on Friday when it hosts Temple in a non-league matchup.