Both men's and women's tennis are in for some worthy opponents this weekend, facing Clemson and Virginia, respectively.
The men's team will travel to West Point for their matches this weekend, taking on Army as well as the Clemson Tigers.
"We are favored to beat Army, but Clemson is nationally ranked in the top 30," head coach Glen Michibata said about this weekend's competition.
Princeton, who did not qualify for last weekend's Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor tournament in Seattle, has been home gearing up for the weekend. Due to injuries, the team will be at a disadvantage. Missing its No. 1 player, Josh Burman, who is sidelined due to a partially torn patella tendon, the team is counting on key players such as No. 2 doubles player Tim Kofol and No. 2 singles Dan Friedman to bounce back from injuries of their own and carry the team through.
Princeton beat Clemson two years ago, but this weekend will face a much-improved Clemson lineup. To combat this, Michibata stressed the importance of winning the doubles points in the match since many of the Tigers' singles players are not currently 100 percent healthy.
"Winning the doubles point in both matches will be very important," Michibata said. "And if we continue to improve with each match, we could come back with a major upset."
The women's team also hopes to come away with an upset this weekend against Virginia, a tough team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Having lost their No. 1 singles player and captain from last year, Kavitha Krishnamurthy '03, the Tigers are looking to their four new senior captains this season to lead the team.
"We have a younger singles lineup this year," sophomore Jessica Siebel said of her team. "Our captains this year are great leaders and we really rely on them for guidance and support."
The Tigers, who recently completed their fall individual season, are geared up and ready for team competition this weekend and are hopeful for good results. The team looks to place high in the Ivies this year amongst solid Penn and Havard teams. This weekend's play will be a good indicator of exactly where Princeton stands against strong competition.
This will be the team's last year under head coach Louise Gengler '75, who will retire after 25 years at the season's completion.
"She's fabulous," Siebel said of her coach. "We'll miss her a lot."
Up for the new job will be assistant coach Laura Glitz, among others. And along with the coaching change, the Tigers also await the new additions to the Lenz outdoor courts which will be finished this spring.
This weekend will feature three doubles and six singles matches against Virginia with the doubles to start and the singles to follow at Jadwin.
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