Harvard Tennis Annual Faculty/Staff Event a Great Hit!

Murr Center: Saturday, Dec. 1st

Before the big Michigan basketball game, there was another big win for Harvard on the Murr tennis courts. The Annual Faculty/Staff Round-Robin is back! Nearly thirty members of Harvard's Faculty/Staff and the entire Men's and Women's tennis teams paired up this weekend to participate in various tennis clinics led by Harvard Men's and Women's coaches and some friendly doubles competition with the Harvard Varsity Tennis Teams. Participants were greeted with Harvard Tennis hats, refreshments, and most importantly Pinocchio's Pizza. The event showcased tennis talents on both sides of the river but also provided an arena for student athletes to thank the Faculty and Staff members for supporting Harvard Tennis.

Players came from far and wide for their chance to rally with the team including representatives from the College, HBS, School of Public Health, the Ed school and the Medical School. Housemasters Howard Georgi (Leverett), Sean Palfrey (Adams) and Roger Porter (Dunster) were trading shots alongside professors like Jim Engell, the current Head of the English Department, Dick Gross, former Dean of the College, and Slavic professor Bill Todd. Craig Lambert, deputy editor of Harvard Magazine put it this way, "This was like a tennis fantasy camp." Having the chance to play alongside the stars of the Crimson squad gave the faculty a sense of what it would be like to be a varsity player on these talented teams. The coaches were ecstatic at the turnout and the rave reviews from the participants. "This event must be an annual happening. It is a great way to foster stronger bonds between the academic and athletic parts of this university and a chance for our student athletes to interact with faculty in a different way. Tennis is the perfect vehicle since so many faculty and staff are closet tennis junkies," said assistant men's coach Andrew Rueb.

Head men's tennis coach Dave Fish and head women's tennis coach Traci Green, along with all the current members of the Harvard men's and women's tennis teams, would like to extend a special thanks to all the attendees of the 2007 Faculty/Staff Round-Robin!

The Harvard women's team opens their season January 26, 2008 at the Murr Center against Southern Methodist University while the Harvard men's team takes on William and Mary on February 1 at 6:00 pm.

Andrew Rueb '95
Assistant Coach, Men's Tennis