W. Tennis sweeps California foes over break

After wrapping up a successful 5-3 fall season and jumping out to a 2-0 start to the spring schedule, the Penn women's tennis team took their talent out west over spring break hoping to improve its overall record. The state of California proved no match for the talented Quakers, as the team went undefeated to bring its spring record to 7-0. Beginning its tour at Loyola Marymount, Penn won 5-3 despite the fact that its first, second and fourth seeds lost relatively close matches. With the aid of two freshmen and senior co-captain Cori Sibley, along with the top two doubles teams, the Quakers recovered and emerged victorious. Two days later, Penn was back in action, this time against California State–Northridge. This time, however, Penn had virtually no opposition, as the Quakers took Northridge by storm and won 8-1. One key victory came from third-seeded freshman Lara Afanassiev, who swept her match 6-3, 6-0. Penn did not rest on its laurels or the California beaches, but instead trekked over to Cal State–Fullerton the next day. The good times just kept rolling, with the Quakers winning 7-2. Penn cruised through the entire match, losing only five sets overall. Two days later, the road-weary Quakers rolled into Cal–Irvine, only to meet another easy opponent. Despite the success of the previous matches, Penn wanted more. The Quakers proceeded to crush UC-Irvine, 7-0, with the two lower-seeded doubles matches suspended because of rain. Penn was within two games of winning both of those matches. The final match of the California tour appeared to be the toughest for the Quakers. They faced off against Cal-San Diego. UCSD is the defending Division III women's tennis champions, and it was the first time Penn has ever played the Tritons. The Quakers appeared to not care about those statistics, continuing their amazing road trip by cruising to another 7-2 victory. Penn once again had an easy day, losing only four overall sets. This match was chock full of quick victories, but none were as quick as senior co-captain Barrie Bernstein's disposal of UCSD's Michelle Malephansakal by a score of 6-0, 6-1. Bernstein is currently ranked 67th nationally and fourth in the East. However, she feels she needs more practice before the Ivy League season begins. "I need a little more work before the real season begins," Bernstein said. "As a team we'll have to work a lot harder as well." Penn's top-seeded doubles team of Bernstein and junior Preety Sorathia are also ranked fourth in the East. The success of the California tour mirrored last season, when Penn also took the state by storm. This year's team is one win better than last year's, but the real challenge lies ahead in the Ivy League season, set to begin Friday, March 24 at Princeton. Last year, the Quakers lost four of nine matches in the league, despite a remarkable 11-4 pre-Ivy season. Despite the Quakers' recent blowout victories, expect the Ivy season to prove a much tougher challenge. "Harvard looks best on paper, and the rest is up for grabs," Penn coach Cissie Leary said. However, don't expect Penn to succumb to Harvard and the rest of the Ivies that easily. The Quakers are still pumped after winning the ECAC Tournament during the fall season.