W. Tennis wins it all

The Penn women's tennis team won the East Coast Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in its history this past weekend. The Quakers were one of eight schools selected to play at Penn State. James Madison finished in second place, 1.5 points behind the champion Quakers. Since each victory by each player in the tournament counts for two points, every match that was won would have resulted in a second-place finish if it were lost. Penn coach Cissie Leary described this victory as a "total team effort." The Quakers were the only team to have all six singles players advance to the second round in their respective draw. Their top three athletes, Barrie Bernstein, Preety Sorathia and Lara Afanassiev, were all victorious in their draws. Senior co-captain Bernstein defeated both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds on her path to the championship in the "A" draw. In the finals, Bernstein took command early with a 7-5 first-set victory. Her success would soon change, as she lost the next set 6-2, and faced a match point in the final set. She was able to remain calm and focused thinking, "Don't give up?play like it's every other point," she said. She came to the net and hit an overhand smash for the point. Bernstein went on to win the set 7-5, and the title. Bernstein was excited with her victory, stating that it "pushed up my confidence and helped me get respect." · Junior Pretty Sorathia rolled over the competition in the "B" draw, never losing more than three games in a set. Freshman Lara Afanassiev did not have as easy a time in winning the "C" draw. She was destroyed in the first set of her semifinal match 6-1 before she could regain control and win the match with 6-2 second- and third-set victories. Afanassiev fell behind again in the finals, suffering a 6-3 first-set defeat. She then trailed in the second set tie-breaker 8-7. Like Bernstein, she would have to reach down for a crucial point to avoid losing the match. Also like Bernstein, Afanassiev rushed the net to hit the winning volley. She kept the momentum going by winning the tie-breaker 10-8, and the third set 6-3, becoming the third Quaker to win her draw. The team was thrilled with its performance. "Everyone played great this weekend. It was a big ego boost," Bernstein said. Leary described her team's play as "awesome," adding "it's a big confidence builder."