Impressive fall results bode well for spring

For the women's tennis team, this fall has been a series of small fireworks — a top finish in one tournament, a clutch doubles victory in another — and a quiet preparation for the grand finale: spring season.

Individually, the Tigers have strung together an impressive record thus far in the fall season, which officially comes to a close this weekend with the Kitty Harrison Invitation in Chapel Hill, N.C.

In her first season freshman Melissa Saiontz came away with top honors in the USTA Women's Collegiate Invitational and fought her way to the semifinals of both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Regional Tournament and Penn's Cissie Leary Invitational. This all came while maintaining her number two ranking in the USTA girls' 18 division.

Junior Ivana King has thrown her hat into the mix of Tiger success as well. King reached the main draw of the ITA Regional Tournament, where she reached the round of 64 in the top singles bracket and the round of 16 in the doubles pool with Saiontz as her partner.

In both singles and doubles, King has proven herself to be a potent competitor.

The accolades don't stop with her. Senior captain Darcy Robertson has led the team to solid finishes at the Princeton Invitational and the Princeton Tennis Classic, as have seniors Laura Trimble and Joanna Roth.

This laundry list of achievements is not complete either, which is the real strength of this year's team. Every member of the small nine person squad has made tremendous strides during this relatively short fall season. Even the three freshmen, Saiontz, Blakely Ashley and Sarah Huah, have made significant contributions to this year's Orange and Black.

This group is not only set apart by the depth of their skill, but also by their dedication to the sport makes them that much stronger. Sophomore Kelly Stewart traveled to San Diego, Calif., over fall break to compete in the annual San Diego State Fall Classic, where she worked on her game against tough competition from the west coast.

This kind of commitment to the fall season, marked by a number of powerful finishes, is precisely the formula for a strong spring season, when Ivy League play begins. Last year's Tigers finished with an overall record of 10-9 with a 4-3 finish in the Ivy League. Harvard, Yale and Columbia topped Princeton last year, but only the Harvard match was lopsided, so this year's group has the potential to make a run at the league title.

What's more, the Tigers have had numerous opportunities this fall to size up the three teams they lost to last year. In the Princeton Classic, the Tigers took four of five matches against the Lions, and the only loss came in a tiebreaker. Moreover, Princeton faced Yale in the Princeton Invitational. Though the Tigers dropped four of the five matches in their first action of the year, one went to a tiebreak, and two others were within reach. With a slight change in play, things may swing in the Tigers' direction this spring.

The Crimson may prove to be the real test for the Tigers this spring, however, as Princeton has had relatively little exposure to the traditionally strong Harvard team so far this year.

Still, if this fall season is any indicator of what's to come in the spring, then Ivy League opponents should brace themselves for the storm to come as the Tigers' string of strong individual performances rolls into a streak of top team finishes.