Youthful Bulldogs make a statement at Princeton tourney

The team is tinkering with its seedings to ensure the strongest possible team in each tournament. To open the season, the Bulldogs filled their most important positions with veterans. Andrea Gold-berg, TD '02, was the top singles seed, and fellow senior and team captain Elizabeth Oosterhuis, CC '02, played at the number-five position. Elizabeth Kaufmann, SY '03, and Suzie Hiniker, TD '03, occupied the second and fourth spots, respectively.

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY Women's tennis imporessed in its opener at Princeton.

Despite the experience that the Bulldogs have at the top of their lineup, the team must rely on seven underclassmen, including five sophomores, to fill all remaining starting positions. Margaret Purcell, CC '04, held the third position at Princeton, but she is closely followed by White and Reshmi Srinath, DC '05, who competed as the sixth and seventh seeds. Sophomore twins Ashley and Karyln Martin, JE '04, and Rekha Natrajan, CC '04, rounded out the team at Princeton.

The team has every reason to be optimistic following its showing at Princeton. Meagan Caldwell, ES '04, a strong contributor last season, will soon return from injury and add instant depth.

Yale nearly claimed the Ivy title last year, finishing 6-1, second behind Cornell. But that just-missed championship seems within reach for this year's squad. With a strong performance in its opening tourney, the team is already on its way to adding another trophy to the Payne Whitney collection. And with the depth and youth of the team, expect the lady racqueteers to compete for the title not only this year, but for years to come. "I'm really excited about this fall and spring. We should be competitive in every match we play," White said.

—Anthony Powell

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