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Winning is starting to become commonplace for the Harvard women's tennis team. Not only did the team collect its second straight Ivy League title, but for the first time since 1988, it earned itself a bid to the NCAA Regional Finals.
The Crimson was led by co-captains Kate Roiter and Kelly Granat. Roiter was a power in the singles with a 3-1 Ivy record, but her real domination showed through in the doubles category.
Paired up with junior Gina Majmudar, Roiter produced an impressive 7-1 Ivy and 14-7 overall record which earned her and Majmudar a spot on the First Team All-Ivy doubles team. With this recent honor, Roiter becomes only the ninth player to achieve First Team doubles three times.
Granat also lit up the singles competition with a solid 6-1 Ivy and 19-4 overall record. In addition, throughout the season Granat paired up with junior Julia Kim, sophomore Gabriela Hricko and freshman Rosemary She to amass a 7-0 Ivy and 15-8 overall doubles record.
The two-year co-captains will not be leaving tennis just yet. Both Roiter and Granat will be coaching tennis next season at Yale.
Another key to Harvard's success was the introduction of freshmen Ivy Wang and She to the team. Wang dazzled the Ivy League by playing in the number one singles position for the majority of the season on her way to a perfect 7-0 Ivy record.
In addition, Wang posted a 21-6 overall record, with her biggest win coming against the nation's number-eight player, Lauren Nikolaus of William & Mary. Wang's outstanding play earned her the Ivy League Rookie of the year award as well as a spot in the All-Ivy First Team.
She also powered the Crimson attack with a 3-1 Ivy and 25-13 over-all record. Unfortunately, due to back spasms late in the season, she not only had to miss the Crimson's last regular season match against Dartmouth, but she also had to retire after only one game in the NCAA Regional Finals against William & Mary.
Majmudar had yet another solid singles season (7-0 Ivy, 23-12 overall) which earned her a spot on the All-Ivy Second Team.
Powering its way into the NCAA Regional Finals, Harvard found its final match against William & Mary. After easily disposing of Virginia Tech (5-2) and then Cornell (5-3), the Crimson could not find its way past the Tribe in a disappointing 5-2 loss.
"[The tournament] was a disappointment. I can't put it anyway else." Majmudar said. "We played really well leading up to the tournament and we were ready to play. We shouldn't have any regrets."
The Crimson ripped through the regular season amassing a .792 winning percentage as well as the most wins since 1988.
Although Roiter and Granat are leaving the team, the future looks bright considering the explosion of Wang and She onto the Harvard tennis scene. With a solid season under their belts, the players are now looking towards next year.
"We have lost a few matches this season which we shouldn't have," Kim said. "So I think that we can do even more than we already have."
Regardless, the Crimson seems to be on a winning track and it definitely appears that the sky is the limit.
"Obviously the season was a huge success," Kim said. "The coaches have said that we tool Harvard tennis to a new level. We exceeded a lot of expectations especially outside of Harvard and I think that we have set ourselves up well for the future."
Harvard Sports Stats 1995-96
Women's Tennis
Record: 19-5, 7-0 Ivy
Ivy Finish: First
Head Coach: Gordon Graham
Captains: Kelly Granat '96, Kate Roiter '96
Other Key Players: Gina Majmudar '97, Gabriela Hricko '98, Rosemary She '99, Ivy Wang '99
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