Fresh off of a difficult weekend on the road, the men’s tennis team will look to get back on track this Friday and Sunday, as they take on Columbia on the road and Cornell at the Lenz Tennis Center.
The Tigers (14-8 overall, 2-2 Ivy League), having started out strong in the first weekend with back-to-back wins against Brown and Yale, now find themselves in the middle of the conference standings. They took tough losses to Dartmouth and Harvard on the road, the Harvard loss particularly heartbreaking since Princeton took a quick lead by winning the doubles point early on.
“It is difficult to play on the road when there are relatively large crowds,” sophomore Benjamin Tso explained. “We knew going in they would be tough matches and that it would be a challenge to maintain our energy and positivity with all the fans trying to rattle us. We competed hard both days, but unfortunately both matches didn't fall our way.”
The two losses prove critical, as the Tigers are already more than halfway finished with league play. They are entering their last full weekend of Ivy League competition, currently at fourth place in the conference. What’s more, they must take on league-leading Columbia, which remains perfect against its league foes at 5-0 and is coming off landslide victories against Yale and Brown last weekend. Indeed, the Lions would need just one more victory in order to clinch the Ivy League title.
However, despite the tough results of the past weekend and the daunting task in front of them, the Tigers remain undaunted as the regular season nears its close.
“Even though the past weekend was disappointing, we've had a pretty good season and it's in our hands to make the tournament. We need to win the last three matches, and that's what we've been working in practice, getting ready mentally and physically for the last three matches,” sophomore Diego Vives commented. “I know that we're going to push ourselves hard this Friday because making the tournament is what what we've been working [for] this whole season and beating Columbia would be a huge step in that direction.”
Indeed, while earning a share of an Ivy League title seems out of reach, the Tigers could put themselves in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a strong showing to end the season. It would be their second straight tournament berth – indeed, last year’s berth broke a 17-year streak of missing the tournament.
“We need to bounce back; I expect everyone to leave it all out there and hopefully we will end up with the at-large bid for the NCAA tournament,” Vives said.
The match against Columbia will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, the Cornell match at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Columbia on the road and Cornell at the Lenz Tennis Center.
The Tigers (14-8 overall, 2-2 Ivy League), having started out strong in the first weekend with back-to-back wins against Brown and Yale, now find themselves in the middle of the conference standings. They took tough losses to Dartmouth and Harvard on the road, the Harvard loss particularly heartbreaking since Princeton took a quick lead by winning the doubles point early on.
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“It is difficult to play on the road when there are relatively large crowds,” sophomore Benjamin Tso explained. “We knew going in they would be tough matches and that it would be a challenge to maintain our energy and positivity with all the fans trying to rattle us. We competed hard both days, but unfortunately both matches didn't fall our way.”
The two losses prove critical, as the Tigers are already more than halfway finished with league play. They are entering their last full weekend of Ivy League competition, currently at fourth place in the conference. What’s more, they must take on league-leading Columbia, which remains perfect against its league foes at 5-0 and is coming off landslide victories against Yale and Brown last weekend. Indeed, the Lions would need just one more victory in order to clinch the Ivy League title.
However, despite the tough results of the past weekend and the daunting task in front of them, the Tigers remain undaunted as the regular season nears its close.
“Even though the past weekend was disappointing, we've had a pretty good season and it's in our hands to make the tournament. We need to win the last three matches, and that's what we've been working in practice, getting ready mentally and physically for the last three matches,” sophomore Diego Vives commented. “I know that we're going to push ourselves hard this Friday because making the tournament is what what we've been working [for] this whole season and beating Columbia would be a huge step in that direction.”
Indeed, while earning a share of an Ivy League title seems out of reach, the Tigers could put themselves in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a strong showing to end the season. It would be their second straight tournament berth – indeed, last year’s berth broke a 17-year streak of missing the tournament.
“We need to bounce back; I expect everyone to leave it all out there and hopefully we will end up with the at-large bid for the NCAA tournament,” Vives said.
The match against Columbia will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, the Cornell match at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Columbia on the road and Cornell at the Lenz Tennis Center.
The Tigers (14-8 overall, 2-2 Ivy League), having started out strong in the first weekend with back-to-back wins against Brown and Yale, now find themselves in the middle of the conference standings. They took tough losses to Dartmouth and Harvard on the road, the Harvard loss particularly heartbreaking since Princeton took a quick lead by winning the doubles point early on.
“It is difficult to play on the road when there are relatively large crowds,” sophomore Benjamin Tso explained. “We knew going in they would be tough matches and that it would be a challenge to maintain our energy and positivity with all the fans trying to rattle us. We competed hard both days, but unfortunately both matches didn't fall our way.”
The two losses prove critical, as the Tigers are already more than halfway finished with league play. They are entering their last full weekend of Ivy League competition, currently at fourth place in the conference. What’s more, they must take on league-leading Columbia, which remains perfect against its league foes at 5-0 and is coming off landslide victories against Yale and Brown last weekend. Indeed, the Lions would need just one more victory in order to clinch the Ivy League title.
However, despite the tough results of the past weekend and the daunting task in front of them, the Tigers remain undaunted as the regular season nears its close.
“Even though the past weekend was disappointing, we've had a pretty good season and it's in our hands to make the tournament. We need to win the last three matches, and that's what we've been working in practice, getting ready mentally and physically for the last three matches,” sophomore Diego Vives commented. “I know that we're going to push ourselves hard this Friday because making the tournament is what what we've been working [for] this whole season and beating Columbia would be a huge step in that direction.”
Indeed, while earning a share of an Ivy League title seems out of reach, the Tigers could put themselves in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a strong showing to end the season. It would be their second straight tournament berth – indeed, last year’s berth broke a 17-year streak of missing the tournament.
“We need to bounce back; I expect everyone to leave it all out there and hopefully we will end up with the at-large bid for the NCAA tournament,” Vives said.
The match against Columbia will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, the Cornell match at 1 p.m. on Sunday.