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Princeton University Athletics
1999 Women's Tennis Review
October 12, 1999 | Women's Tennis
Legendary Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight once said that “winning isn't making great plays. It's eliminating mistakes.” After winning 720 college basketball games in 33 years, he might know something about what it takes to win. For the Princeton women's tennis team, 1997 was a season of many mistakes. They corrected many of the mistakes in 1998 and, under the close observation of coach Louise Gengler, the Tigers looked to move on to bigger and better things in 1999. And as coach Knight says, if you eliminate the mistakes, you start winning.
The season began just as it had in years past, with a strong fall season that leads into an even stronger spring season. The fall included several invitational tournaments that honed player's skills for the big show in the spring. The spring season was kicked off at Jadwin Gym Feb. 13 against the University of Massachusetts. The 7-0 win made Valentine's Day extra special.
Less than a week later the 19th annual Princeton Invitational was underway. Top players from all over the Northeast converged on Jadwin for this prestigious event. Princeton's Jyotsna Vasisht advanced to the finals of the three-day event before falling to top-seeded Cynthia Tow of Boston College.
All players were on their toes when it came time for the annual spring trip to sunny Southern California. The Tigers had an easy 9-0 win over U.S. International University before falling to perennial Big Ten power Iowa. San Diego State proved to be just as tough and the Tigers could not hold on. Cal State-Fullerton was a welcome sight as the Tigers jumped out to an early lead during doubles competition and never looked back, cruising to the 7-2 win. The Tigers outgunned Oklahoma en route to a 6-3 win. Blair Farr and Amanda Hastings-Phillips were among the winners in singles action. The spring trip ended with 3-2 record and a two match winning streak.
The streak continued at Richmond as the Tigers toppled the Spiders. Farr, Vasisht, Hastings-Phillips, Gailor Large and Kristi Watson all posted singles wins. Two days later against Virginia Commonwealth, the winning streak ended with a tough 5-4 loss. The Tigers bounced back with a 9-0 win over Seton Hall for a final tune-up for Ivy League action.
If Princeton felt ready for league play, Penn did all it could to keep the Tigers from seeing results. A tough 5-4 loss in Philadelphia slowed the Tigers a little, but they bounced back in a big way against Yale. Vasisht continued to play well in the win as she picked up a singles point as well as a doubles point with Watson as her partner. The next day, Brown was no match as Princeton tallied seven points.
Always an emotional rival, Rutgers was an easy win for the Tigers. Princeton topped the Scarlet Knights in non-conference action by a score of 7-2. The Tigers lost only one singles match in the mid-week win.
A big weekend at Harvard and Dartmouth was up next for the Tigers. If they could beat the Crimson and the Big Green, the final weekend of the season would be a breeze to the league title. Unfortunately, the weekend got off to a rocky start as the Tigers fell to Harvard 5-4. Doubles action was huge when the Crimson claimed two key points. The trip to Dartmouth and the subsequent 6-3 win ended the weekend on an up note.
The final weekend of the season was a little less dramatic, with the Tigers sitting in second place in the league. The 9-0 win over Cornell and the 7-2 win over Columbia were not enough as the Tigers finished the season playing second fiddle to Harvard and Penn in the league.
Joytsna Vasisht's consistency all season led her to be voted to the All-Ivy second team. The doubles team of Amanda Hastings-Phillips and Gailor Large was a unanimous pick for first-team All-Ivy. The Tigers worked to eliminate some of the mistakes that caused the heartache of two years ago. The winning is coming along, just as coach Knight says.
Highlights
Junior Jyotsna Vasisht was voted to the All-Ivy second team.
Hastings-Phillips posted a 14-4 singles record in the spring to lead the Tigers.
Results
11-6 overall, 5-2 Ivy League
The doubles team of Amanda Hastings-Phillips and Gailor Large was a unanimous selection for first-team All-Ivy honors.
| 2/13 | MASSACHUSETTS | W | 6-1 |
| 2/19-21 | PRINCETON INVITATIONAL | ind. | |
| 3/13 | at U.S. International | W | 9-0 |
| 3/15 | Iowa @ | L | 2-7 |
| 3/17 | at San Diego State | L | 3-6 |
| 3/19 | at Cal. St. Fullerton | W | 8-1 |
| 3/20 | Oklahoma # | W | 6-3 |
| 3/26 | at Richmond | W | 8-1 |
| 3/27 | at Virginia Comm. | L | 4-5 |
| 4/1 | SETON HALL | W | 9-0 |
| 4/3 | at Pennsylvania | L | 4-5 |
| 4/9 | YALE | W | 6-3 |
| 4/10 | BROWN | W | 7-2 |
| 4/14 | at Rutgers | W | 6-3 |
| 4/16 | at Harvard | L | 5-4 |
| 4/17 | at Dartmouth | W | 6-3 |
| 4/23 | CORNELL | W | 9-0 |
| 4/25 | at Columbia | W | 7-2 |
@ - at San Diego, Calif.
# - at Los Angeles, Calif.