JULIA TIERNAN/YH Ryan Coyle, BK '02, and his teammates are gunning for a win against Princeton on Fri., Apr. 7.

Despite injuries, Elis slice through Rutgers, BC

With a flawless 6-0 record at home, the men's tennis team might appear ready to coast through the remainder of its season. Add a few injuries into the mix, however, and the Bulldogs' future seems a little less certain. Preparing for their first Ivy League match against Princeton on Fri., Apr. 7, the Elis are a mediocre 7-6 but remain optimistic that they will improve as long as they can remain healthy and injury-free.

The team has had several strong matches already this season, including a success- ful spring break trip to California and a close victory over Rutgers on Fri., Mar. 24. Yale's most recent matches, on Tues., Mar. 28, were definitive victories over Boston College, 6-1, and Army, 7-0, trouncings which gave them a benchmark for how well they can perform when playing at full potential. "If team confidence is ever low, we need to remember that we can really come together and per-form well as a team like we did against Army," Greg Royce, SY '01, said.

This confidence-boosting victory over Army proved essential to the Bulldogs' performance against Rutgers, when the extra morale seemed to push Yale to a tight 4-3 victory. "We didn't play particularly well," Chris Shackelton, CC '02, said. "The match should not have been that close," Although the Bulldogs did not feel they played their best tennis, they won at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, and Scott Carlton, JE '01, also won a hard-fought singles victory.

The combination of injuries and matches against teams like Boston College—not one of the stronger teams on the Bulldogs' schedule—has allowed Coach Alex Dora- to to give players who don't play in the regular varsity rotation a chance to prove their ability at the Division I level. Against Rutgers, Prateek Tandon, PC '03, filled in for Mayo at second doubles. Playing with Greg Royce, SY '01, Tandon also helped to win a crucial match for the Elis. "Ten guys in all got the chance to play, and with the exception of one match, we won them all fairly easily," Shackelton said.

M. Tennis

Record: 7-6, 0-0 Ivy Recent Results: Won vs. Boston College, 6-1, on Tues., Mar. 28 Coming Up: Sun., Apr. 2 vs. Navy; Fri., Apr. 7 at Princeton

Building on its confidence from recent wins, the team is hoping to avenge a road loss to Navy last fall. Currently 10-8, Navy lost to Princeton 6-1 last weekend and will play both Penn and Army before they face Yale at home on Sun., Apr. 2. The Navy game will provide Yale with an excellent indication of how well it will match up with similarly competitive Ivy League rivals. "Next Sunday's match against Navy will be the best indicator of how we'll do during Ivy season," Carlton said. "If we pull off a win there we will have a lot of confidence for the Ivies, which are still wide open this year."

The Bulldogs' primary concern right now is injuries. Currently, three key players—captain Scott Mayo, BR '00, Ryan Smith, PC '00, and Gabe Goldstein, DC '02—are out of commission. Mayo anticipates returning for the Navy match, and he will be a valuable presence, because he can play at both second doubles and at No. 4 or higher in singles competition. Smith, out with a torn stomach muscle, hopes to be healed and back in fighting form in time for Ivy League play. "Ryan Smith is key to our team's being successful against good teams, and his absence really hurts us," Carlton said. Even with this barrage of injuries, the Bulldogs remain optimistic that they will be ready to perform at their highest potential in time for the Princeton match.

As the Bulldogs approach the start of the Ivy League season, it is critical that they use their remaining match against Navy to prepare for their tough opener against Princeton. "The Ivy season is what we train for all year, and it is coming up quickly," Royce said. "The team is greatly anticipating the first Ivy match against Princeton."

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