CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Coming off an ECAC Championship title, No. 25 Harvard men's tennis hosts No. 34 Minnesota, No. 23 Vanderbilt and Bryant this weekend at the Murr Tennis Center. The Crimson and Gophers are set to begin Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. Harvard and Vanderbilt will start play at 12 noon on Sunday, Feb. 22, with the Crimson taking on the Bulldogs later that day at 5 p.m.
All matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Parking Advisory
Due to several home events and recent inclement weather, fans traveling to Harvard home events this weekend are advised to allow more time to arrive. All bearers of Harvard winter season parking passes are guaranteed parking within the complex. Fans unable to park inside the Athletics Complex can park in the Harvard Business School parking areas accessible off of both North Harvard Street and Western Avenue.
More information on directions to the Harvard Athletics Complex is available here.
Scouting Minnesota
Heading into the weekend at No. 34, Minnesota holds a 7-1 record, including wins in each of their last five matches. In its last time out, the Gophers bested Big Ten rival Wisconsin, 4-1. Minnesota has earned the doubles point in every match this season. Matic Spec owns a perfect 7-0 record from the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, while Minnesota's ace Leandro Toledo is 6-1 overall. The Crimson owns a 3-1 lead in the all-time series, last defeating the Gophers in 2014 (4-3).
Scouting Vanderbilt
No. 23 Vanderbilt travels to Cambridge at 7-2 and winners of its last four matches. In its last time out Feb. 6, the Commodores cruised past Middle Tennessee State, 6-1. Austin Gonzales holds the No. 1 spot, posting a 5-0 record. The Crimson holds a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series, last besting the Commodores 4-3 in 2013.
Scouting Bryant
The Bulldogs enter the weekend in search of their first win, holding a 0-6 mark. Bryant has been off from competition since Feb. 7, where it dropped matches to BC (4-3) and then-No. 68 Brown (7-0). Matt Kuhar holds the No. 1 spot for the Bulldogs, maintaining a 3-2 record. Harvard and Bryant have met just once, last season, where the Crimson downed the Bulldogs, 6-1.
In the Rankings
Harvard has moved to No. 25 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll after starting the season at No. 29. Sophomore Sebastian Beltrame holds the No. 80 spot after opening the season at No. 86. Senior captain Denis Nguyen ranks No. 91. As a pair, Nguyen and sophomore Brian Yeung register a No. 15 ranking in the men's national doubles rankings.
Team
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Jan. 6
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29
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Jan. 20
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30
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Jan. 28
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32
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Feb. 3
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30
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Feb. 17
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25
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Last Time Out
Harvard won the 2015 ECAC Championships last Monday at the Murr Center, defeating the No. 2 seed Dartmouth, 5-0. The Crimson began the weekend with a 4-0 blanking of Yale before passing by Princeton, 4-2, in the semifinals.
Home Cookin'
Harvard owns a perfect 4-0 record thus far at home this season, beating opponents by a combined score of 25-7.
LIVE! From the Murr, It's Men's Tennis
For the second-straight year, all Murr Center matches will be streamed live on the here. Subscribers to the network can watch matches both live and on-demand at their convenience, and will have access to live and on-demand content for all Harvard athletic events through the duration of their subscription.
Fall Ball
Denis Nguyen and Brian Yeung wrapped the fall season with a spot at the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships after winning the doubles event at the ITA Regional Championships. In the semifinals of the regionals, Nguyen and Yeung bested Cornell's Vrabel and Casares to square off against Dartmouth's Sakinis and Kipuoras. The duo turned away the Big Red pair for the USTA/ITA regional championship title.
#Winning
The Crimson finished the fall season with an 81-39 (.675) record in tournament play. Sebastian Beltrame and Andrew Ball both registered a 10-3, while three Crimson student-athletes picked up wins over ranked opponents (Beltrame, Denis Nguyen and Alex Steinroeder).
Last Year
The Crimson is coming off an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as Denis Nguyen became Harvard's first All-American since 2005 with a semifinals appearance in the men's singles draw.
On the Sidelines
David Fish, the Scott Mead '77 Family Head Coach for Harvard Men's Tennis, is in his 39th season with the Crimson after coaching the men's tennis team to an 18-7 record last season and leading the Crimson to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third-straight season. Fish was named the winner of the 2014 ITA Meritorious Service Award in December.
