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Tigers Knot Netwomen For Title With 6-3 Win

Tony the Tiger says, "GRRR-eat!"

Ditto the Princeton Tigers, following their 6-3 upset of the Harvard women's tennis team Monday at the Lenz Tennis Center in Princeton, N.J.

The Tigers' season-ending rip-roaring win over Harvard (10-6 overall, 6-1 Ivy) gives Princeton (6-1 Ivy) a share of the Ivy title, forcing the Crimson to split the crown for the second consecutive year. The title is the Crimson's eighth-straight Ivy championship.

"[Princeton] played for reaching first place, whereas we could do no worse than tie," Harvard Co-Captain Jamie Henikoff said. "Still, I was upset that we had to share the title."

The Tigers duo of Aila Winkler and Katie Evashevski kicked off the match by downing Cristina Dragomirecu and Jen Minkus, 6-4, 6-4, at second doubles to tally the match's first score.

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Harvard's Erika Elmuts and Co-Captain Nicole Rival rallied the Crimson to tie the match, as the freshman-senior combination dropped Princeton's Kim Han and Polly Held in straight sets at third doubles.

First doubles turned into a blow-for-blow barnburner for the Crimson's terrorizing tandem of Amy deLone and Henikoff.

The Harvard pair dropped a heartbreaking first set to Diana Gardner and Lauren Fortgang, 7-6, but bounced back to nab the middle stanza and force a third set.

Tied, 4-4, in the deciding set, the Tigers broke deLone's serve to go one game shy of victory. The 100 rabid rowdies at Lenz Tennis Center exploded in excitement, bearing down on theHarvard competitors.

Gardner and Fortgang held serve to scoop thematch and a 2-1 advantage into the Tigers' claws.

"We lost some key games in the third set,"deLone said. "At 4-4, I was on serve, but the gameturned out to be really long--over 20 minutes.[The fans] went crazy when we lost. They hadalmost twice as many fans as we get at Beren[Tennis Center]. With so much cheering, it washard to come back."

"I've never seen so many people for a women'stennis match," Henikoff added.

Sinking Singles

Princeton's Diana Gardner dropped deLone, 6-1,6-0, at first singles to close out the final matchof the Tiger senior's collegiate career.

"[Gardner] didn't miss a ball," deLone said."She aced me and hit winners left and right. Sheplayed so well."

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