Yesterday at Topliff Courts, the Dartmouth women's tennis team fell to Harvard by the final count of 6-1. The loss was a sour end to the Big Green's campaign, as the ladies ended their regular season with a final record of 14-10 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League.
The lone victory for the Dartmouth lady racketeers came at No. 3 singles, as Jayme Ahmed '05 dispatched of Lara Naqushbandi 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
In doubles action, Ahmed and Catherine Crandall '04 moved up to the No. 2 position and lost to Harvard's Alexis Matire and Ashley Hyotte 8-5. At No. 3, the team of Arden Fredeking '04 and Katie Lopez '04 lost an 8-2 decision to Sarah McGinty and Fleur Broughton of the Crimson.
The match of the day was the contest at No. 1 doubles. Senior co-captains Sarita Yardi and Carly Bashleben dropped an epic struggle to the top Harvard duo by the score of 9-7.
The match was close throughout, and the tandem of Yardi and Bashleben played with the emotion that comes with playing the final home match of their fine careers. The quality of doubles play was also at a high level throughout. The games were full of long points, breathtaking gets, rapid volley exchanges and beautifully constructed rallies.
Neither pairing held an advantage of more than two games over the entirety of the match, and both teams pulled out numerous shots in pressure-packed situations. The most clutch game came from the Big Green team, as the duo needed a hold of Yardi's serve while down 6-7 to stay alive, a game that Yardi and Bashleben captured convincingly.
With the match knotted at 7-7, heartbreak set in for the Dartmouth faithful. The Crimson erased three game points to grab what turned out to be an insurmountable 8-7 lead.
Even though the result did not come out in the favor of the Big Green, there was no shortage of spectacular play from Yardi and Bashleben. Both players showcased their superb all-court games one final time in front of their adoring fans. Both seniors made many pinpoint topspin lobs, timely passing shots and skillfully executed half-volleys that wowed the fans time and time again.
In singles, the highlight of the six matches came courtesy of a rising star in the Dartmouth sports program: Jayme Ahmed. In her first year as a member of the Big Green squad, Ahmed has repeatedly produced clutch performances against nearly all comers.
Against the Crimson's No. 3 player, Ahmed handled powerful groundstrokes as well as a couple highly questionable calls, including one at a critical juncture in the final set, to come out on top.
While no other Dartmouth player won, the Big Green ladies did fight hard against the highly touted Harvard team, a squad that boasts several nationally ranked competitors.
Yardi and Bashleben gave determined efforts against their tough opponents before getting edged by their Crimson adversaries. Fredeking lost by a slim margin -- 6-4 in the third set. At No. 5 and 6, Crandall and Lopez showed flashes of brilliance before succumbing in hard-fought matches.
All in all, this young Dartmouth team -- the Big Green has only two starters past their sophomore year -- showed plenty of promise, and it should be a force in Ancient Eight tennis for years to come.
