Count on Capkovic for wins

Both teams chose very difficult opponents for the non-conference schedule. The men, at one point, were ranked in the nation’s top 50 for the first time ever under head coach Glenn Michibata. Early on, the tough schedule appeared to pay off, as the men took down several ranked opponents, including No. 42 Clemson and No. 70 Georgia State in a span of three days. They were even gutsy enough to take on No. 15 Pepperdine on their road trip in California, which proved difficult but gave the men experience in a high-caliber match. The women did not slack in comparison with the takedown of No. 72 Dartmouth during Ivy League play. They also bit off some difficult opponents, including No. 10 North Carolina during the non-conference season.

“Tennis is such a mental game, we needed to work on developing our mindset,” women’s head coach Kathy Sell said early in the season. “It is only a weakness against the best teams, but that is who we want to play.”

The women proved their mettle even with the difficult schedule and should be well-prepared for next season. They are only losing one player, senior No. 1 Ivana King, who was a strong contributor all season. This leaves five out of the six singles starters with a year to improve their game and make a strong push for the Ivy League title next spring, including freshman No. 3 Taylor Marable, who finished a perfect 7-0 in Ivy League competition.

The preseason-favorite men seemed poised to sweep the Ivy League, but this goal deteriorated one injury at a time. The Tigers opened the conference schedule in full form with a win against Penn, the defending Ivy League champion. In the next match against Brown, junior No. 2 Alex Krueger-Wyman tore his meniscus to end his season. It was simply downhill from there. With junior No. 1 Peter Capkovic battling a back injury and other teammates experiencing periodic injuries throughout the final weeks of the season, by the final match only one of the original six starters was playing. Though the final five matches were closely fought, without the play of Princeton’s top starters, the Tigers did not stand much of a chance.

Next year, however, looks even better than this year. The men are losing no members of their current starting lineup and have recruited a blue-chip and a four-star recruit from the Class of 2012. Capkovic was named Ivy League Player of the Year, so with some support from an uninjured squad, Princeton will once again be the hands-down favorite next spring.