The women’s tennis team is off to their best start in program history. Their three most recent wins on the road have put them at a 13-2 record this season, with nine straight wins including five 4-0 shutouts. After their last 4-1 win at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, the team surpassed last year’s 12-10 record and is now poised to put it far in the rearview mirror.
The team has only lost matches to Texas A&M and Yale—an incredible achievement for both the players and head coach Traci Green. They have now wrapped up their indoor season and just recently hit the outdoor courts with their trip to the West Coast over spring break. They come back to Cambridge for their final non-conference game of the season vs. UMass on March 30.
Holly Fischer ’25, playing No. 1 singles, offered her perspective on the reasons for their recent success. “It just feels really good. The team has been putting in a lot of work this year on and off the court. I think we’ve all made a huge effort to not only train hard but also bond with each other off the court… So it’s nice to say that our work is showing in the results and paying off.” Fischer now sits at a singles record of 13-3.
Stephanie Yakoff ’27, playing No. 2 singles as well as No. 1 doubles with Fischer, added, “We’ve been building together on and off the court since the season began, and even in the fall, it’s just great to…have such an amazing start, and hopefully [this] continues for the rest of the season.” After a recent decisive 6-2 victory against LMU, Fischer and Yakoff have racked up an impressive 8-3 record together in doubles play.
Coach Green credited their success in part to physical fitness and praised the team’s dedication and depth: “I’m really proud of the fitness of our team. I think it’s been showing in the last few matches, and we hope to continue dominating in that area going forward,” said Green. “I think we have an awesome amount of depth on our team. And just the hard work and dedication [and] how much our team loves the game really shows day in and day out at practice. We’re going to keep on riding this wave as long as we can and have fun.”
The real test is yet to come, however, with the Ivy League Championship on the horizon. The early 0-4 loss to Yale remains a sore spot for chances at the championship this year, but the shutout score does not provide the full story. Harvard led in all three unfinished matches and put up a close race in the doubles position, winning the No. 1 position and losing the No. 2 and 3 positions 6-2 and 6-4 respectively. Despite this loss at the ECAC Championship, Fischer remains optimistic about their chances at the title this year. “I think we’re definitely on track [for the Ivies]—our team has gotten better and better,” said Fischer. “I think we got a chance to see some of the Ivy League Schools at ECACs so we kind of know the types of players we’re going to be playing against. I think, with the people on our team, if everybody keeps going in the right direction, we definitely have a shot.” The team last won the annual championship in 2017 with a record of 17-8, sharing the crown with Dartmouth and Cornell.
Green added, however, that the most important match is always the next one. The team looks on to their final non-conference match, relying not on the momentum to succeed, but instead on laser focus and grit. Coach Green highlighted their current objectives, explaining, “Right now, we’re working on making the transition to outdoor tennis. There’s a little bit of a difference between indoor tennis and outdoor tennis, so we’ll be looking to be a little more patient on the court and add a little more spin to our game.” Green’s 17th season as head coach of Harvard’s tennis team is off to a historic beginning, but, when it’s over, all that will be remembered is the end—it is up to the players to finish it strong.
Andrew Morrissey ’26 (ajmorrissey@college.harvard.edu) writes Sports for the Independent.