Harvard Women’s Tennis Downs UMass

After last weekend’s dominant win over Quinnipiac University (2-5), Harvard (8-5) was back for more at home. The Crimson recorded a decisive 4-1 victory over UMass Amherst (7-3), tallying its fourth win in a row.

The first set of doubles was won by junior Kate Kim and freshman Claire Shao on the second court. The duo was initially down three games to the Minutewomen, but closed the gap to come out with a lead that resulted in a 6-4 win for Harvard.

The next set was won by UMass on court three. The Crimson pair of junior Natalie Block and sophomore Natasha Rajaram tied up their initial three-game deficit, but ultimately fell 6-3 to the Minutewomen.

This left the doubles point up to court one, where junior Kavya Karra and sophomore Anna-Raphaelle Serghi had kept an advantage over their Minutewomen opponents due to their strong service game and overhead plays. That said, UMass senior Ella Faessler and freshman Fiona Ao were able to narrow the difference to make it a competitive last game, with Harvard up 5-4. Forcing errors from their opponents, Serghi and Karra were able to come out on top and clinch the doubles point for the Crimson.

Harvard’s captain, junior Stephanie Yakoff, was notably absent from the team’s lineup, as she missed the match due to illness.

“The doubles point was very dramatic and could have gone either way on each court, but once we got into singles, our players really settled in and took control of the match. It was a great example of our team depth and how scrappy this group is,” Head Coach Traci Green wrote after the match.

As it headed into singles with one point on the board, the Crimson began a series of competitive sets against the Minutewomen. Karra and Shao both took early leads at the first and second spots, respectively. Shao battled hard for a 7-5 win, whilst Karra took hers 6-3, and both players began their second sets with dominant 3-0 starts.

Kim won her first with a 6-4 score at the fourth spot.

On court six, Rajaram started down in games but climbed through long points to enter a tiebreaker. The tiebreak proved to be equally competitive, with the sophomore and UMass junior Amanda de Oliveira trading points until the Rajaram was ultimately able to nab the set point.

Serghi and Block struggled against UMass on courts three and five, respectively, finishing with 6-2, 6-3 losses.

As the match moved into second sets, Harvard held an overall advantage.

Block helped this effort by flipping her score and earning a 6-2 victory over her opponent, forcing a third set.

Serghi’s second set went to UMass sophomore Martina Pavissich, who tallied one point for the Minutewomen. However, Shao and Karra continued to outplay their in-state competitors and finished their matches within seconds of one another with scores of 6-2, 6-3.

With a score of 3-1, Harvard needed just one more set win to clinch the match. As Rajaram, Block, Serghi, and Kim were still playing, the match could have been finished by anyone.

The honor of the day ultimately went to Kim, ahead 5-2, who engaged in a long deuce point that sent lobs back and forth over the net until the junior was able to hit the literal and figurative winner.

“We had a few players out sick, so we had to make some adjustments to the lineup, but the group stepped up and found a way to get it done,” Green wrote. “UMass is a very solid team, and they always throw everything they have at us, so we’re definitely going to enjoy this win. At the same time, we’re looking forward to turning the page to outdoor play and getting some outdoor competition during our spring trip to Florida.”

The Crimson will face off against Florida Gulf Coast University (10-3) and Florida Atlantic University (4-6) during its spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., next Thursday and Saturday.

— Staff writer Bianca M. Egan can be reached at [email protected].