Bulldogs Bark, But Can't Bite

This weekend against Yale, Kathy Vigna proved why she is the number-one singles player for the Harvard women's tennis team.

It was Vigna's tremendous comeback from a 2-6, 1-5 deficit in her singles match that guided the netwomen to a 6-3 team victory over the Elis Saturday in New Haven.

Facing Yale's Megan MacMahon, the number one player in the Eastern region during the fall season, Vigna--a three-time All-Ivy selection--rallied to capture the next 12 consecutive games to win the match.

"It was the greatest comeback I've seen in college tennis," Harvard Coach Ed Krass said. "[Kathy] picked up the momentum for the rest of the team."

The Crimson, which trailed in the early sets of many of its individual matches, responded to Vigna's efforts by extending its consecutive match winning streak to seven. Harvard's record now stands at 12-6 overall and 5-0 in the Ivy League.

"It was definitely our toughest match of the year," freshman Christina Dragomirecsu said. "We didn't let Yale get to us."

Dragomirescu, the squad's only freshman, followed Vigna's lead by staging a comeback of her own. After the Romanian native lost her first set, 6-2, to Diane Schwab, Dragomirescu won the tiebreaker in the second set and eventually captured the final set, 6-3.

Harvard Captain Robin Boss was the only Crimson player to win a singles match in straight sets. She defeated Elizabeth Baldwin, 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles Troubles

Vigna, along with her doubles partner, Cyndy Austrian, also had to come back against the Yale duo of MacMahon and Baldwin. After falling behind, 5-3, in the first set and 5-2 in the second set, the Crimson's number-two tandem won all the remaining games of both sets to win their match, 7-5, 7-5.

In the Crimson's other doubles victory, Kathy Mulvehal--a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 singles winner over Jennifer Brown--teamed up with Dragomirescu to defeat the Eli contingent of Schwab and Brown in straight sets.

"When it comes down to it," Krass said, "[the team] concentrated a little bit more on winning. They felt like they were supposed to win."

The netwomen will not play again until May 1 when they host Cornell at Beren Courts. A victory over the Big Red, along with a win over Princeton next week, will assure the Crimson of another Ivy League title and another trip the NCAA tournament.