It has been a near flawless season for women’s tennis (9–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League), as the team has played their first ten matches with only one loss. Behind the dominance, however, is a squad that has transformed its preparation through diligent training and has cultivated an unbreakable off-court bond.
As the Tigers head into the back half of their season and prepare for the grueling Ivy League slate, Head Coach Elizabeth Johnson credits the hot start to the squad’s underlying culture.
“We’re definitely seeing a direct correlation between professionalism, maturity and support, and wins,” Johnson told The Daily Princetonian. “That’s been really nice and rewarding as a coach.”
The Tigers began their journey towards success in early January. The team returned to campus weeks before their first match for a rigorous two-week training block completely dedicated to practice and physical conditioning.
“There’s nothing that replaces sprints and there’s nothing that replaces minutes on the bike,” Johnson said. “They’ve seen that their physicality has helped them get across the finish line in several matches.”
That conditioning was put to the test in late February, when the Tigers traveled to Florida to face Florida International University (FIU) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Despite the abrupt transition from the New Jersey winter to 80-degree heat, Princeton cruised to back-to-back 4–1 victories.
“We played those teams that are used to playing in the heat, and we were a little scared about that,” senior Eva Elbaz told the ‘Prince.’ “We were in such good shape, the other team was cramping, and we were not.”
That depth and endurance have been tested and proven across the entire singles lineup. Sophomore Pearlie Zhang is one of the strongest players on the roster, currently riding a massive 5–0 singles run dating back to the ECAC Championships. Zhang also came up huge in the Florida heat, clinching the decisive fourth point in the team’s win against FAU at No. 5 singles. Meanwhile, junior Tsehay Driscoll has been a stellar, reliable anchor down at No. 6 singles.
The physical preparation goes hand-in-hand with veteran composure. In the season opener against James Madison University (JMU) almost a month earlier, the Tigers found themselves in a battle. Their 4–3 victory required the team to dig deep, with Elbaz securing the final set after JMU won two sets in a row.
“That’s where moments like when Eva stepped up and got it done in the third set, are irreplaceable,” Johnson said. “You can’t cheat the system. You have to go through a lot of matches to gain experience and gain knowledge.”
Elbaz, the team’s co-captain and only senior, relishes that responsibility.
“It’s my fourth year, and I think it’s my role to show some kind of calm in those tight moments,” Elbaz told the ‘Prince.’ “I try to take a deep breath, focus on the serve and patterns I like the most, and show that I’m in full control.”
A massive technical shift this season has been Princeton’s absolute dominance in doubles. Last year, the team frequently dropped the doubles point, forcing them to play from behind in singles. This season, the team has won nearly every doubles point they’ve played.
Elbaz attributes the turnaround to extensive experimentation in the fall season.
“We tried a lot of different combinations of teams, and we really found our best combination,” she said. “Line one, two, and three feel very comfortable playing with each other.”
Johnson noted that the coaching staff has put a heavy emphasis on film review and strategy, but ultimately, the players have spent a lot of time working on their identity as a doubles team.
Junior Bella Chhiv, who forms a formidable line two pair with Elbaz, believes their contrasting playing styles are the key. Chhiv employs an aggressive baseline game, while Elbaz excels at the net and closing out points with her serve and overheads.
“When one of us is not playing as well, we both have enough experience to know that the other person can uplift their partner,” Chhiv told the ‘Prince.’ “We never play bad at the same time, and we have enough maturity as players to know when it is time to step up.”
This tactical synergy extends across all three doubles courts.
“Line one ... Driscoll and [Zhang] are incredibly good with energy,” Chhiv told the ‘Prince.’ “I think it’s really great for the girls to see that the doubles team that plays the highest position also has probably some of the best energy as well.”
At line three, the combination of junior Alice Ferlito and sophomore Maren Urata has been equally devastating, notably clinching the crucial doubles point to set the tone for the FAU win.
“Maren does a really great job of capitalizing off of [Ferlito’s] shots,” Chhiv told the ‘Prince.’ “So I definitely think that across the board, we have incredibly good players — not only as singles, but as doubles players as well.”
That collective maturity was on full display in mid-February against a previously undefeated Michigan State squad. Playing at a neutral site at Columbia, the Tigers were down the first set on all the courts. Instead of folding, Princeton stormed back to secure a memorable 4–1 win.
“Being able to still secure that win despite getting off to a bad start was something really memorable,” Chhiv told the ‘Prince.’ “Doing it at a neutral location really solidified our confidence in each other as teammates.”
The Tigers’ sole stumble came against Yale in the first round of the ECAC Championship. The Bulldogs, who went on to win the tournament, handed Princeton a 4–1 loss, though the individual matches were tightly contested.
Rather than letting the loss derail their momentum, the team used it as a mirror.
“It was great, because it really showed each girl on the lineup what they have to work on,” Elbaz said. “Having those moments where you fail and lose is a good reset, and it’s good for the coaches to know exactly what we should be working on.”
True to form, the Tigers bounced back immediately to beat Harvard and Cornell in the tournament’s consolation rounds.
“One thing about my team is that when they take a loss, historically, they’ve come back stronger the next day,” Johnson told the ‘Prince.’ “I was really proud of that, but we’ve got work to do if we want to get Yale in April.”
As the calendar turns toward late March and conference play, the Tigers have their eyes locked on the Ivy League title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. To get there, they’ll need to survive a grueling seven-match Ivy gauntlet.
“All seven matches are a point of focus,” Johnson told the ‘Prince.’ “I would like to get revenge on Penn. They beat us 4–3 last year, and it was really tough. Same with Dartmouth. We would love to get revenge on them.”
The team’s ambitions stretch beyond just the Ivy crown. Fueled by their strength on the road and a deep sense of camaraderie, the Tigers believe they have the talent to make noise on a national scale.
“We want to not only be known as a good team within our conference, but we also deserve to hopefully make our name up there along with all these other state schools and really great tennis programs,” Chhiv told the ‘Prince.’ “As we keep getting these wins under our belt, it’s just going to increase our confidence against higher-ranked teams.”
James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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