The men’s and women’s tennis teams continued their undefeated runs in the Ivy League, defeating Yale and Brown this weekend. The No. 33 women’s team (16-5 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) defeated No. 40 Yale (11-5, 0-1) 6-1 in New Haven, Conn., on Friday afternoon. The next day, it topped No. 66 Brown (13-6, 1-1) in Providence, R.I.
The Tigers’ decisive win over Yale was a complete team effort. The No. 1 doubles tandem of sophomore Hilary Bartlett and junior Taylor Marable, which is ranked No. 19 in the nation, helped get Princeton off to a rolling start by defeating Vicky Brook and Lindsay Clark, 8-5. The sibling duo of senior Melissa Saiontz and sophomore Rachel Saiontz helped secure the doubles point by defeating Stephanie Kent and Jessica Rhee, 8-4. The rest of the Tigers found success in the singles matches, as Bartlett, Melissa Saiontz, Rachel Saiontz, junior Blakely Ashley and freshman Monica Chow defeated their opponents in straight sets.
Princeton continued its success against opponents ranked in the top 75 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association by defeating Brown the following day. Overall, the Tigers are 8-3 against opponents ranked in the top 75. The victory moved Princeton to 3-0 in the conference for the first time since 2000. Bartlett, Rachel Saiontz, Marable and Ashley continued their strong play as they all won in both singles and doubles.
The Tigers look to continue their undefeated conference run and maintain their good play against top-ranked teams when they host No. 52 Harvard and No. 47 Dartmouth this weekend.
The men’s team (7-10, 3-0) hosted Yale (11-7, 0-1) at the Lenz Tennis Center on Friday, defeating the Bulldogs 4-3. They followed up this victory with another strong performance at home on Saturday, beating Brown (10-11, 0-2), 5-2.
While the score does not reflect it, Princeton beat Yale in decisive fashion. Freshman Matt Spindler clinched the victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Daniel Hoffman after being broken in the second set.
“I knew that the win would clinch it,” Spindler said. “I knew that if I kept doing the right things, I would be able to come through in the end. I was just trying to focus on what I could control and not worry about what had already happened.”
This was Spindler’s second victory over Hoffman this season — he beat him 7-6 in the third set in a tight match in February.
“I know what to expect from him,” Spindler said. “I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I also know how he plays, so I was better prepared to play him now than a few months ago.”
Spindler’s victory also allowed freshman Matt Siow to retire from his match so he could rest his injured ankle. The match against Yale marked the return of Siow after he missed two weeks with a sprained ankle. His presence proved pivotal to the team’s victory, as he brought a new source of energy and consistency to the court.
“He’s one of the guys in the fall that’s just been extremely reliable,” senior captain and No. 1 Charlie Brosens said. “You can count on him to either win or play a very good match, and under pressure he does very well. [His return] definitely changes how we feel going into the match. It makes us feel more confident.”
Siow’s insertion into the lineup at No. 3 also factored into the team’s victory by allowing Spindler, junior Alex Faust and sophomore Coleman Crutchfield to play one spot lower in the lineup. This proved to be critical as Spindler, Faust and Crutchfield were all victorious in their singles matches.
The Tigers continued their winning streak in the Ivy League the following afternoon, beating Brown to improve to 3-0 in conference for the first time since 2001.
The match got off to a rough start as Princeton uncharacteristically lost the doubles point. The Tigers were able to refocus and rebound, securing five victories in singles. Brosens and freshman No. 2 Matija Pecotic bounced back from losses against Yale on Friday by beating their opponents in straight sets. Spindler, Faust and Crutchfield also contributed to the team’s victory by winning in straight sets.
The Tigers’ contagious energy and strong leadership have helped propel the team to the top of the Ivy League. Leadership has come from a variety of sources, including Faust, Crutchfield and Brosens.
“Alex Faust has played a big leadership role, and Coleman Crutchfield, in particular, hasbeen really great recently, just in having a lot of energy in the court and enthusiasm for the program and the matches,” Brosens said. “Personally, I just show up to the matches and compete as hard as I can and be loud on the court and set a good example for the other guys, but a lot of people are doing that as well.”
The men’s team hopes to continue its undefeated league play when it travels to No. 64 Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend.
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