Netmen travel to No. 16 Harvard for toughest test of early season

By RYAN DOUGHERTY
Collegian Staff Writer

The Penn State men's tennis team will face its toughest challenge of the year thus far Sunday at No. 16 Harvard.

The No. 60 Nittany Lions (5-1, 1-0 Big Ten) are fresh off last weekend's sweep of American and Toledo, and a victory against Harvard could make a national statement and help the Lions rise in the ITA rankings.

Penn State coach Jan Bortner knows it won't be easy when Penn State goes for the upset at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Sportsman's Club in Dorchester, Mass.

"(Harvard) is a top-10 caliber team, and their ranking will rise into the spring," he said. "We know we're going up against a great program but we look forward to the challenge."

The Lions certainly have their work cut out for them. Harvard is desperately seeking to rebound after going 1-2 last weekend, with losses to No. 4 Mississippi and No. 12 Tennessee.

Making matters worse, Harvard has clobbered Penn State in the last three meetings between the teams by a combined score of 18-3.

Harvard also boasts the No. 1-ranked singles player in the nation, James Blake. Don't be misled by the facts, though. This weekend's match won't exactly be David vs. Goliath. Penn State is bringing a few weapons of its own to Massachusetts.

The Lions' No. 1 singles player, Mike Griesser, has won his last three matches and is upbeat about this weekend's regional showdown.

"We know how good they are, but we have nothing to lose and there's no pressure on us," he said. "We're going to play our hearts out and see what happens."

The Lions also present Harvard with the challenge of matching their No. 44-ranked doubles pairing of Marc Dorfman and Eric Meditz, which went 2-0 last weekend.

"I think we have a really good shot of beating them, but only if we all play well," said Dorfman. "We look at their No. 16 ranking and it gives us big motivation. It would be a huge win."

Harvard coach Dave Fish realizes the immensity of the potential upset, and said his team is not taking Penn State lightly.

"We are always wary of Penn State's doubles and quickness around the court. Relative to ability, Jan Bortner gets more out of his players than anyone else in the East," he said.

The pair of Dorfman and Meditz in particular poses a threat to Harvard, which in Fish's words "have had trouble winning the doubles point."

Bortner feels good about his team, which is ranked No. 3 in the ITA Eastern Region -- two spots below top-ranked Harvard.

"Our guys have improved each and every day at practice. They've learned not to look too far ahead," he said.

Is there any extra incentive playing Harvard?

"When you're heading in to play one of the top teams, they have a big target on their chests," Griesser said. "We want to go in and snatch a win."

Notes: In an effort to promote tennis to inner-city youth, the match will take place at the Sportsman's Club in Dorchester, Mass. The club is a non-profit facility designed to instruct and mentor inner-city youth, according to Harvard assistant coach Peter Mandeau.