The weekend came down to the third set in the final match of a day marked by shouting and bitter rivalry. With the contest tied at 3-3 against the Quakers (12-9, 2-2 Ivy), No. 5 Ari Gayer '09 took the court for the decisive battle, and was barely edged, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
The Big Green (8-9, 1-3 Ivy) also lost a crucial doubles point, as No. 1 singles player Mark Brodie '07 and his partner, Jeff Schechtman '08, were handed their second loss of the weekend. The No. 2 team of Dan Freeman '10 and Justin Tzou '10 also lost their matchup to seal the doubles point for the Quakers.
There was no love lost between the two teams, as a number of the matches were marred by shouting and unsportsmanlike play.
"We really wanted to win because we hate Penn, and they hate us," Brodie said. "To lose it in such a close way is disappointing."
"Penn is our biggest rival and the match we've been looking forward to all season -- to lose 4-3 is a heartbreaker," Freeman said.
In singles play, Brodie also conceded to No. 2 regionally-ranked player Jason Pinsky, 6-3, 6-2, one of Brodie's few losses of the season. Freeman won his match when the opposing player retired when Freeman went up 5-0.
Tzou also finished strong in singles at the No. 3 spot, defeating his opponent, 7-6, 7-5, in a closely contested match. Schechtman came back in his game to win the second set but was unable to finish out the third.
The most exciting game of the weekend against Penn saw Curtis Roby '11 post an incredible comeback. Down 2-5 in the third set and facing several match points, the freshman was able to fight his way back into the game and eventually prevailed.
On Friday, however, the story was different, as Dartmouth came out strong with unrelenting pressure against Princeton (9-9, 1-4 Ivy), and never let up. It was their first win against Princeton in eleven years, according to Freeman.
Dartmouth was able to win the doubles point, although Brodie and Schechtman were handed their first loss in the Ancient Eight this season. Freeman and Tzou, a newly-made team, as well as Gayer and Roby, were able to post wins to secure the team doubles point and set the tone for the match to come.
As for the first team's disappointing doubles weekend, Brodie's answer was simple.
"We had a slump," he said. "It happens in sports; it's not like we didn't prepare well. But I don't think that means this is going to continue. We're the captains--we're not going to be complacent to concede too many more doubles losses."
Nevertheless, the doubles victory gave Dartmouth momentum going into singles play, as the men won five of their first six sets.
"I think it shows how important the doubles point is," Freeman said. "We got it against Princeton and it gave us a lot of momentum going into singles. Ultimately that's why we won. Against Penn we lost doubles, and lost the match."
Gayer, the first to play in the singles matches, was able to shut out his opponent, 6-0, 6-0. Roby also won convincingly, beating his opponent 6-2, 6-2.
It was Brodie, in a shot at redemption for his doubles play, who was given the chance to seal the victory for the Big Green. He did so in convincing fashion, beating No. 3 regionally-ranked Peter Captovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
With the win sealed and the pressure off, the team relaxed and cruised to an eventual 5-2 victory.
"Beating Princeton is huge because they're always tough," Brodie said after the match. "We're psyched about that, but Penn was the match we really wanted to win."
The men, no longer in last place, still have three contests left in the Ivies. The Big Green plays Brown at home this Friday, then travels to New Haven, Conn., to battle Yale on Sunday. Dartmouth finishes league play against Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. on April 23.
"We feel like we have a good shot at beating all three teams we play," Freeman said. "Harvard will be the toughest, obviously, but it's definitely a winnable match."
