W. Tennis cruises 8-1

There was nothing unexpected for the Penn women's tennis team Saturday as it traveled to Georgetown for an 8-1 victory. For the past two years the Quakers have overpowered the Hoyas, and this year was no exception. "Georgetown was tougher than last year, but so were we," coach Cissie Leary said. "I'm real pleased to say the least. We've been working really hard during practice and we've had good execution. It was a total team effort." The Quakers (2-0) were led by senior co-captain Barry Bernstein, who won at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-2. Bernstein quickly took the lead and set the tone for the rest of the match, dominating her opponent. "I was pretty confident. I went through fast and I didn't let up at all," Bernstein said. "I had the momentum throughout the entire match." The Hoyas took only one match, No. 6 singles. They also threatened at No. 1 doubles, taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. The Quakers turned things around and came back to win, 7-5, 6-2. Although Georgetown was a step above last week's opponent, Swarthmore, the rest of the season will only get more difficult. "Georgetown was a good match to play at the beginning of the season," Bernstein said. "The fact that we went through it fast gave us more confidence to play against teams that are going to be a lot stronger. This also makes the freshman who didn't know what to expect more confident." With three freshmen in the starting lineup, Penn's young team is a work in progress. Due to this inexperience on the college level, Leary stayed away from forming any preseason expectations. Instead, she is watching as her team proves itself match by match. According to Bernstein, the Quakers are stronger now than they ever have been in September. Even though Georgetown elevated its play since last year, the Hoyas were still no match for Penn. For the third year in a row, the Quakers blew out Georgetown and proved they are ready for the next level of competition.