W.TENNIS RES AT ITA REGIONALS: W.Tennis suffers 0-2 weekend

So much for Southern hospitality. The Penn women's tennis team was treated to a rude awakening Saturday afternoon at Virginia Tech's Burrows-Burleson Tennis Complex as the Richmond Spiders and Old Dominion Monarchs stung the Quakers 5-2 and 6-3 respectively at the ITA Team Regionals. The consecutive losses dropped Penn (2-2) from the ranks of the undefeated to those of the mediocre in a matter of hours. "What can you say?" Penn coach Cissie Leary said. "The teams were tough. They just played better than we did." "It was just one of those days," senior co-captain Leanne Mos said. "We couldn't get it together. Our first two matches were against weaker teams. This was really the first time we've been tested." It was an uphill battle all day as the Quakers were forced to fight talented opponents, windy conditions,and the fatigue of playing four consecutive individual matches. The Penn women, however, refused to make excuses. "It was definitely a long day, but we knew going in that it would be," sophomore Preety Sorathia said. "Stamina wasn't a problem. We just weren't on on Saturday. The shots just didn't go in." "Physically we were fine," Mos said. "But mentally it was a little difficult to keep our spirits up at the end of the day." One reason for Penn's poor performance might have been a change in the doubles format that was actually designed to minimize endurance problems. The ITA Team Regionals borrowed the pro-set format from men's tennis in which doubles matches are played in a single eight-game set rather than the traditional three six-game sets. This pro-set format will be used in Ivy League play this spring. For the Quakers, who were experiencing the format for the first time, the change may have done far more psychological harm than good. Penn, usually strong in doubles, won only two of six matches on the day. "People on both sides were pretty nervous," Mos said. "[With the pro-set format] you feel like you have to win every point. There's a lot more pressure. If you get down early, you feel like it's going to be difficult to come back." Mos and sophomore Preety Sorathia were two bright spots in what was an otherwise dismal day for Penn. Mos, coming off a subpar individual showing at the Eastern Regionals last weekend, won both her No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles matches against Richmond for the squad's only two victories. She defeated the Spiders' Mary Beth Lang in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) and combined with Suejin Kim for an 8-5 doubles victory. Sorathia won what Leary termed "a great match" over Old Dominion's Kristen Fulton (6-2, 6-4), an old nemesis from her days in junior tennis. "It was tough because we're both baseliners and we have similar games," Sorathia said. "It was windy so I had to play smart. I used a lot of spin and just kept the ball in play until she made a mistake." Sorathia was also up a set in her singles match against Richmond when officials stopped the contest midway through the second because the Spiders had already won the team competition. "Preety played mentally tough to the end," Mos said of her teammate. "She was impressive." Unfortunately, not all of the Quakers performed so well, particularly at the bottom of the roster, which may be cause for concern. Penn has relied thus far on its consistency in doubles and its depth as a foundation for success. At the ITA Team Regionals, against stiffer competition, both qualities were conspicuously absent. Southern hospitality may not have served Penn but maybe Saturday's losses will act as a wake-up call for the Quakers who travel to Lehigh tomorrow.