LINCOLN, NE – Harvard women’s tennis completed a 2-0 weekend and grew their winning streak to three this afternoon by defeating Nebraska, 4-2.  With its match up against the Cornhuskers being its final of four straight road battles, the Crimson improve to 3-1 in the stretch, only falling to a top-10 nationally ranked opponent.    

How it Happened

The Crimson opened the day by battling back in doubles action.  The squads split the first two completed matches by falling at the No. 2 position prior to bouncing back with a 6-3 victory from Holly Fischer and Stephanie Yakoff at the No. 1 spot.  Natalie Block and Sany Gawande ultimately secured the doubles point for Harvard as they battled through tiebreakers, 7-6 (4), to remain undefeated as a duo. 
 
Moving into singles play, the Cornhuskers were able to pull into the lead by grabbing victories at both the No. 1 and 4 positions.  Despite being down 2-1, the remainder of the match was all Crimson. 
 
First, a straight set, 6-4, 7-5, win from Maxi Duncan over Anfisa Danilchenko (Nebraska) evened the score.  Stephanie Yakoff followed closely behind with her own straight set victory after battling through tiebreakers in the opening set, 7-6 (4), 6-3. 
 
The match was ultimately clinched by Kate Kim as she picked up her fourth victory of the spring to remain undefeated.  Facing off against Maria Taranova (Nebraska) at the No. 5 position, Kim split the first two sets with her opponent as either player took one, 6-4.  In the final set, the Crimson first-year was able to pull out a 6-3 victory to clinch the match for Harvard. 

Harvard Highlights

• Natalie Block and Sany Gawande have consistently provided doubles victories for the Crimson at the No. 3 position.  With their win today the duo moves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 this spring. 
• Kate Kim continues to shine in her first year with the Crimson.  Kim currently leads the team in singles wins with a record of 14-3, including being 4-0 in dual matches.
• With her straight set win this afternoon, Stephanie Yakoff reached double digit victories with an overall record of 10-4. 
• Maxi Duncan finishes her weekend 2-0 and joins Kim in leading the Crimson with four singles victories through the team’s first five matches. 
• Harvard has now started their season with just one loss through five matches in three out of the last four competition years. 
• Today’s meeting was the first between Harvard and Nebraska, pushing the Crimson to a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series. 

Results

Harvard – 4, Nebraska – 2
Doubles

1. Holly Fischer/Stephanie Yakoff def. Raphaelle Lacasse/Isa Adrover Gallego (Nebraska), 6-3
2. Anfisa Danilchenko/Ana Zamburek (Nebraska) def. Iveta Daujotaite/Angel You, 6-0
3. Natalie Block/Sany Gawande def. Maja Pietrowicz/Lucy Loy (Nebraska), 7-6 (4)

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles

1. Raphaelle Lacasse (Nebraska) def. No. 103 Holly Fischer, 6-3, 6-3
2. Stephanie Yakoff def. Isa Adrover Gallego (Nebraska), 7-6 (4), 6-3
3. Maxi Duncan def. Anfisa Danilchenko (Nebraska), 6-4, 7-5
4. Maja Pietrowicz (Nebraska) def. Sany Gawande, 6-3, 6-1
5. Kate Kim def. Maria Taranova (Nebraska), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
6. Natalie Block vs. Ana Zamburek (Nebraska), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 2-3

Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 5

Next Up

Following an upcoming off weekend, the Crimson will return to action at home as it hosts the 2024 ECAC Championship from February 9 to 11.