The men's tennis team returned to Hanover Saturday night with a 1-1 Ivy League record after losing a close match 4-3 against Columbia University Friday afternoon and retaliating against the University of Pennsylvania in a 5-2 route Saturday.
"We knew the match against Columbia would be tough," Holden Spaht '96 said. "We had plenty of opportunities to win the match, but they played well when [they] needed to."
The men, who have never beaten Columbia in New York, had to adapt to playing inside a bubble and on clay courts.
"It's very difficult to play down there," Kinyon said. "I thought we played well though. It was the closest match we've ever had on that surface. We went down there to play well and play hard, though, and we did that."
Although the team was worried about finding motivation to come back against Penn, the Big Green started out strong by taking the doubles match.
"We haven't been a very strong doubles team this spring," Kinyon said. "We have some good singles skills, and we've been working with that. It was nice to see those skills come through in doubles at Penn."
Captain and number one player Dan Coakley '94 has led the team with a 3-0 singles record, with two victories this weekend. Spaht and Jim Rich '96 also tallied two singles wins this weekend, while Chase Arnold '95 added another win against Penn.
The men continue Ivy League competition Friday at home against Princeton University, a team with extreme depth, Kinyon said.
"They will be very good all the way down," he said.
Taking advantage of home matches is key for the Big Green.
"With the depth in the league this year and our difficult road schedule, it is very important that we win our home matches," Spaht said. "Our home match against Princeton will be very important to our chances in the Ivy League."
Despite the early loss, the Big Green feel an Ivy League Championship is still within reach.
"All in all, seeing as we had never beaten Columbia in their own facility, the close loss this year was more encouraging than disappointing," Spaht said. "There is still a long way to go, but if we continue to play well, we should be right in the thick of the Ivy League race."
