Entering last weekend, the position of the men's tennis team in the Ivy League was somewhat questionable. But the Big Green made a strong case for themselves, taking over first place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association Friday night with a victory over Pennsylvania and pulling out a tough victory over Princeton on Saturday..
Dartmouth trampled a strong Pennsylvania team that had upset Princeton the week before. With a quick start, the number one and three doubles team captured early victories to give the Big Green the early lead from which they never looked back.
"I felt that we went out and played excellent," Coach Chuck Kinyon said. "We just got them before they knew what hit them, and by that time we were up 4-0 and had won the match."
The Big Green earned singles victories from Jim Rich '96, Matt Fuller '97, Holden Spaht '96 and Chase Arnold '95 to give them the impressive 5-2 win.
With an emotional victory under their belts, the Big Green had to pick themselves up the next morning to take on Columbia, the defending Ivy League Champions.
Dartmouth came out somewhat despondent Saturday, and Columbia quickly capitalized. The Big Green's number one and two doubles teams were unable to break and both fell 8-6 giving Columbia the doubles point and momentum.
"I didn't think we played very well," Kinyon said. "I was very disappointed. I told them we had our worked cut out for us and that we would have to put in an extra effort. We were up to the challenge."
Indeed, the Big Green were ready. In a match where comeback seemed to be major theme, momentum meant little and both teams could feel the pressure of every match.
The first Big Green upset came when Arnold came back from a 2-6, 3-5, love-40 deficit to overcome his opponent in three tight sets.
"I definitely picked it up a little bit," Arnold said. "I needed to warm up. It was purely the spiritual leadership of Kirk Bruggeman '95 though who was standing behind the net jumping up and down."
Bruggeman, this year's captain, along with Arnold provided the Big Green with senior leadership. When things got tough, they got tougher.
When Bruggeman began his match, the score was 0-2. After a slow start, he trailed his opponent 3-0, but through shear will came back to win the set 7-6. Bruggeman continued time after time to chase down unreturnable balls until finally his hard hitting opponent was simply worn down. He captured the second set in fine fashion, 6-2.
With comeback in the air, tension for the Big Green tightened on number-one player Rich's court when he dropped the second set 7-6 after leading 5-2 and missing one match point opportunity.
When Rich was broken in the middle of the third set after he was assessed a point penalty for racquet abuse, momentum seemed all Columbia, but the number one player refused to quit. He gained composure and simply dominated his opponent with hard hitting forehands to win the match 6-4 in the third.
Number six player Avery Rueb '98 also withstood pressure. Rueb was all business in the first set winning it 6-1, and after being down a break in the second set, battled back to win the set in a tie break.
"I was really nervous," Rueb said. "I usually get that way, but today I really wanted to win because that could make the difference. We were down two to one when I went on, so I was nervous but excited at the same time."
With wins from Rueb and Bruggeman, the Big Green seized the match at 6:30 p.m., six and one half hours after it began. Leverone Field House became a second home for the players who were there until 10:30 p.m. the night before.
"This next week we have to heal a little bit," Kinyon said. "We have a lot of bumps and bruises from the weekend. The experience the top six players provide is so important. It is crucial that we have them ready to play."
With only five days to rest, the Big Green will hit the road when to take on Navy Friday afternoon and then play Princeton on Saturday.
"We have to expect to play well and not let down," Kinyon said.
The Big Green are hoping for good weather this week so they can practice outside and prepare for conditions they may face this weekend.
With a 2-0 Ivy record, thoughts of the Ivy Title may form in the minds of Dartmouth players and coaches. "We haven't started a season this well since we won the Ivy Championship," Bruggeman said.
