"We were obviously disappointed that we couldn't come away with a win, but we all knew that this weekend was going to be tough," Stephen Greif '11 said.
In its Ivy opener on Friday, the Big Green suffered a 5-2 loss to a tough Cornell team. The match began with doubles partners Alex de Chatellus '13 and Chris Ho '12 beating the Big Red, 8-1, in the No. 3 spot. In the No. 2 spot, team captain Curtis Roby '11 and Greif notched an exciting 8-6 win, securing the doubles point.
"Last year, we did not win a lot of doubles points, so we were all pretty excited about it," Ho said. "Our captain, Curtis Roby, sat us down and talked to us about staying focused, especially against a team like Cornell, but it definitely got us excited for the rest of the match."
The Dartmouth men, however, did not capitalize on the momentum of winning the doubles point and went on to lose the singles matches, 5-1. Alexander Centenari '13 in the No. 6 spot was the only Big Green player to win in singles play, doing so in three sets. Cornell was able to secure four of the matches in straight sets.
"It's always hard to lose, but we knew that we had to keep it in perspective," Greif said. "We knew that these were the two best teams that we were going to face, and we knew that we had to push through and play well the next day."
The Big Green continued its road trip the next day, travelling to New York City to take on the No. 1 Lions. Once again, Greif and Roby did their part in doubles play, beating their opponents, 8-6, in the No. 2 spot.
Doubles partners Daniel Freeman '10 and Michael Laser '12, in the No. 1 spot, and Ho and de Chatellus, in the No. 3 spot, however, could not pull out wins. Despite challenging the Lions in close matches, the two Big Green doubles teams lost both matches, resulting in the Lions winning the point.
Dartmouth could not turn the match around, allowing Columbia to win all but one of the singles points as well. Ho was the only Big Green player able to top his competitor, winning handedly with a straight-set victory in the No. 4 spot.
"Although we lost, I think that we have to take the positive spin," head coach Charles Kinyon said. "We played very well in some spots."
According to Kinyon, the team will continue to work on its doubles play to prepare for the rest of its Ivy matches. Consistency will also prove a key to success.
"We will continue to work, and hopefully we can win the doubles points in the next two matches," Kinyon said. "We need to get out of the gate a little faster, and we need to all play consistently. You can't have one guy having a bad game on one day and play great the next. We need everyone to be on the same page."
Another crucial aspect for Dartmouth, according to Ho, will be maintaining a positive outlook on its matches, even when the competition is tough.
"We know that we can beat Princeton and Penn, but it's important that we go out there with that kind of mentality," Ho said. "We sometimes go out, especially against teams like Columbia and Cornell, thinking that we are going to lose, but we really have to do away with that type of attitude. Overall, I think everyone stayed relatively positive, regardless of the tough loss this weekend, and this is going to be key."
Dartmouth will continue conference play in Hanover this weekend, hosting the University of Pennsylvania on Friday at 3 p.m. and Princeton University on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Boss Tennis Center.
"This weekend is really important," Kinyon said. "Our team has worked really hard all year, with our work directed towards the Ivy League season. Last year, we got shut out, and we have worked so hard, so we're sort of looking for a break through."
