M. Tennis knows better than to celebrate the past

In 1985, the Penn men's tennis team upset Princeton for the first time in over a decade and showed up at Navy the next day wearing party hats. The Midshipmen drilled the favored Quakers that day, ending the celebration. Penn didn't beat Princeton again for 10 years. But last weekend, the Red and Blue (12-3) had their biggest win so far this season, knocking off the Tigers in a tough 4-3 battle and establishing themselves as a force in the Ivy League. And this week they want to make sure history does not repeat itself. First, Cornell visits the Lott Courts today at 2 p.m. Historically, the Big Red has been hovering around the middle to the bottom of the league, spending most of last year in the cellar. Penn made quick work of the Big Red in 1994 and hopes this year will be no different. Saturday, disciplined Army comes to town for a noon showdown with the Quakers. Stronger than Cornell on paper, the Cadets barely lost a close contest with Rutgers, a team that gave the Quakers a scare earlier this season. Although they are favored in both matches, the Red and Blue do not want to take anything for granted. After coasting easily through the first few contests of the season, Penn has been on somewhat of a roller coaster over the last couple weeks, losing to Penn State in what should have been a victory and following that up with the breakthrough win against Princeton. It looks like Penn has a shot of qualifying for the NCAA tournament this year. "Every year we set the goal of making the tournament, but we thought we'd need a miracle," senior captain Neil Aaronson said. "This is the first time in my four years that it looks like a real possibility." Coach Gene Miller stresses the importance of being process-oriented, rather than focusing on results. Although an NCAA berth is one of the goals for the season, he wants the team to focus on what it needs to do to get there rather than look too far ahead. "We have to concentrate on every point as if it is match point at Wimbledon," Miller said. "The key is to be able to focus for a longer time than your opponent, and the boys are getting better with each match." The last two weeks have taught the Quakers the importance of preparation. Gone are the days when a few elite teams dominated the Ivies. Now almost every opponent must be considered a threat. "We tend to focus harder when we have something to prove," Aaronson said. "We have to be really serious about all of our matches, whether we're the favorites or not. We can't let our guard down." This weekend, Penn will leave the party hats at home.