Tennis: Princeton eviscerates Quakers

The men’s and women’s tennis teams started their Ivy League seasons on a high note this weekend, with both teams cruising to victories over Penn to start the crucial final stretch of the season.

The women (14-5 overall, 1-0 Ivy League), now ranked No. 32 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, were extremely dominant, sweeping all of their matches for a 7-0 victory.

The Penn women (4-9, 0-1) struggled even to win single games against the Tigers. Sophomore Hilary Bartlett, senior Melissa Saiontz and junior Taylor Marable all contributed straight-set wins in singles. Sophomore Rachel Saiontz played a particularly strong match, losing only one game on her way to a 6-1, 6-0 win.

The doubles squads were also outstanding. Freshman Monica Chow and junior Sarah Hoffman made quick work of their opponents, and the other two teams completed the doubles sweep.

The men (5-10, 1-0) weren’t far behind, taking the doubles point and four of their singles matches to win 5-2. The team faced stiff competition from the Penn squad (10-5, 0-1), and many of the matches came down to the wire. All three doubles matches could have gone either way, but freshmen Michael Lin and Matt Spindler pulled out an 8-6 win, and junior Alex Faust and freshman Matija Pecotic triumphed soon after.

Three of the singles matches went to three sets, but the Tigers managed to come out on top every time. Senior Charlie Brosens raced through the first set, but Penn’s No. 1 Eugen Brazdil fought back to take the second set 7-5, and Brosens had to work hard to pull out the third set, 6-4.

Faust’s match was filled with swings, as he lost the second set 7-6 despite having won the first set rather handily. Faust rebounded to win the third set 6-1. Sophomore Coleman Crutchfield took a while to get going in his match, losing the first set before coming back to capture the second and third, losing just two games in the process.

Head coach Glenn Michibata credited Faust and Crutchfield in particular for their play, noting that their wins were key to maintaining the team’s confidence. It helped that the team had worked over spring break, competing against various schools in Florida.

“The Florida trip was excellent preparation for the Ivies, because everyone got chances to play tough matches,” Michibata said.

Having this kind of success to start the season is huge — especially for the men, since four of the team’s top players are freshmen.

“I think beating Penn definitely helps prepare us for the upcoming Ivy League matches,” Spindler said. “It gives us an idea of what we should expect in these duals, especially for us freshman who have never experienced this kind of competition before.”

Of course, the women are hoping that this is just the beginning of another masterful season. Most of the team members are upperclassmen who experienced the success of last season when they captured the Ivy League crown. Their success against Penn shows just how good they have been since the Eastern College Athletic Conference championships, and they are looking to build on that success throughout the next few weeks of Ivy competition.

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Despite being ranked so high, Princeton will still face substantial hurdles in defending its Ivy League title. Harvard and Dartmouth already upset the Tigers at the ECAC tournament, and the Tigers will need to avenge these losses before the season ends to reclaim their spot at the top.

Both teams will face one of their bigger challenges this weekend when they travel to New Haven, Conn., to play No. 31 Yale on Friday. Princeton completes its road trip on Saturday against Brown.