In the annual battle for the sought-after title of the best tennis team in New Jersey, Princeton scored a crushing knockout blow last week.
On Wednesday, the women's team (6-6 overall) handed Rutgers (5-8) a 7-0 defeat at Jadwin Gym. Three days later, the men's team (10-4) followed suit with a shutout victory of its own over the Scarlet Knights (2-5), also at Jadwin Gym.
In other action, the women's team also dominated George Washington (2-6) on Friday, winning 6-1.
Something smells rank
The men's team, now ranked No. 70 — the first time the squad has received a national ranking this year — stomped its instate rivals on Saturday, extending the Tigers' home winning streak to seven matches.
Princeton took the early lead by taking all three doubles matches against Rutgers and never looked back. Junior Darius Craton and sophomore Ted Mabrey had no trouble handing their opponents an 8-2 loss at No. 2 doubles. Senior Blaise Goswami and freshman Mark Gober also earned an 8-2 win at No. 3. The No. 1 match was more competitive, but juniors Hans Plukas and Andrew Lieu ultimately pulled away from their opponents to claim the victory, 8-5.
The Tigers carried their domination over to the singles matches as well, though they faced more resistance from the Scarlet Knights in this part of the contest. No match better exemplified Princeton's determination in pursuing the win than Craton's victory at No. 1.
After getting off to a good start against Tyler Deming and winning the first set, 6-3, Deming managed to start a comeback run and took the second set, 7-5. As Craton struggled with a forearm cramp, Deming put Craton in a 2-0 hole to start the third. Craton then turned on the heat, playing through his injury and winning six of the next seven games to earn the point.
Lieu and freshman Christian Husby also won three-setters at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively. At No. 2, sophomore Sratha Saengsuwarn downed Matt Fawcett in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Plukas earned a straight-set win over Gordie Milchutsky at No. 3, and freshman Jonathan Leslie topped Jonathan Wanono, 6-4, 6-4.
"We knew that we were a better team than Rutgers at every position, but nobody took their matches lightly, and [everybody] played professionally, showcasing both our talent and depth," Craton said.
The Princeton men's home winning streak will be put on the line next weekend when the Tigers host Penn in the team's Ivy League opener. The Quakers are currently 67th in the country, so a victory would give Princeton an opportunity to improve its rank.
"Penn is a very loud and energetic team who will most likely try to come out fired up and outwork us," Craton said. "With solid and confident play, we will come out on top."
2-0 weekend
The women's team cruised to a shutout victory over the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday. Junior Jessica Siebel and freshman Ivana King gave the Tigers a promising start in the No. 1 doubles game with an 8-5 win. Sophomores Darcy Robertson and Joanna Roth took the No. 2 match, 8-5, and Princeton won the No. 3 match by default. Rutgers was only able to bring five competitors to Jadwin and was forced to forfeit the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles matches.
The Tigers went on to blast the Scarlet Knights in singles. Robertson lost only one game as she crushed her foe at No. 3. At No. 2, freshman Christine Kansky demolished Anela Dujsic, 6-1, 6-1. King and Roth also earned 6-1, 6-1 victories. At No. 1, Robertson dropped only three games in a defeat of Katrina Elder-Bush.
It was the same story against George Washington on Friday. The Tigers, who have struggled at doubles this season, came out strong and overwhelmed the Colonials early on.
King and junior Rankin Williams spent very little time disposing of their opponents at No. 3, 8-0. Robertson and Roth snagged an 8-2 win at No. 1. Senior Stephanie Berg and sophomore Laura Trimble downed Tracy Stecko and Sevla Gonca, 8-5.
Princeton shifted its focus to the singles matches and claimed every singles point, except for the one from No. 1 spot. Trimble goose-egged Gonca in the first set of her No. 6 singles match. Gonca fought hard in the second set, but Trimble held on for the 6-0, 7-5 victory. Roth earned an impressive 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3. King let Stecko escape with only four games, dropping her, 6-2, 6-2. Junior Allison Hashmall, playing at No. 2, earned a straight-set victory, as did Berg at No. 5.
The match scores were surely lopsided, but Trimble noted the need for caution against overconfidence.
"These types of matches are often the most difficult because you have to force yourself to stay focused, energized and disciplined," she said. "We're ready to carry this intensity and discipline into the Ivy League season and come out strong against Penn."
The Princeton women travel to Philadelphia to face off against the Quakers on Saturday.
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