Men's, women's tennis both middle of the pack in Ivy League

In a league stacked with talent, Princeton's tennis teams found themselves earning narrow victories and facing tough competition from their Ivy opponents. The men's team (14-8 overall, 3-4 Ivy) concluded the season with its highest win ratio during head coach Glenn Michibata's reign at the University. Meanwhile, under first-year head coach Kathy Sell, the women's squad (10-9, 4-3) tied for third in the Ivy League.

The highlight of the men's season was its final victory over Cornell. The second team All Ivy duo of juniors Andrew Lieu and Hans Plukas held on for a close 9-8 win at No. 1 doubles. Senior co-captain Josh Burman and sophomore Sratha Saengsuwarn won at No. 2, and junior Darius Craton and sophomore Ted Mabrey downed their opponents at No. 3.

Craton, Lieu and Plukas all succeeded in handing their foes straight-set losses in singles to guarantee the season-ending win.

"The win at Cornell showed me how much character and pride our team has," Michibata said. "Each one of our players fought as if the Ivy title was on the line, despite the team being knocked out of contention the previous weekend."

Princeton got things started this season on the road but returned home to face South Carolina State, handing the Bulldogs a punishing 7-0 loss. This first home match was highlighted by junior Shannon Morales' 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles.

The win launched Princeton on a seven-match winning streak that lasted over a month. The Tigers earned home wins over Manhattan, Stony Brook, Boston College, George Washington and St. Joseph's before embarking on a spring break road trip to California. Playing its toughest opponent of the season, Princeton earned an impressive 6-0 victory over Purdue.

Following a 2-2 roadtrip, the No. 70 Tigers goose-egged instate rival Rutgers before starting the Ivy season. Princeton fought hard to earn three key Ivy victories. Having earned 4-3 wins over Yale and Dartmouth, Princeton closed out its season with the win over Cornell.

Quakers felled

The women's team's season was highlighted by its 5-2 upset of No. 58 nationally-ranked Penn. Having struggled with consistency at doubles all season, the No. 1 team of junior Jessica Seibel and freshman Ivana King, in tandem with sophomores Darcy Robertson and Joanna Roth at No. 2, earned crucial victories to clinch the double point for the Tigers. Robertson and King also felled their singles opponents. Freshman Christine Kansky made quick work of her foe at No. 3, losing only one game. Junior Alison Hashmall also found victory at the No. 4 spot.

After the win against Penn, Princeton crushed Brown, 7-0, before falling to Yale, 5-2. The Tigers rebounded against Dartmouth, coming out on top, 4-3. Following losses to Ivy champ Harvard and Columbia, Princeton finished off its season with a 5-2 win against Cornell.

Princeton also had little trouble dropping instate rival Rutgers, winning every match. Having lost only two seniors to graduation, the now-veteran Tigers look to improve upon a No. 3 Ivy finish.