Sorathia's gritty performances lead W. Tennis to pair of wins

When the women's tennis team left for two Ivy League matches against Yale and Brown, it had no idea what it was getting into. The Quakers had never won both of these matches on the road, and it would take their best possible performance to accomplish the evasive feat. What occurred were two unbelievable matches that tested skills and nerves. Penn reached New Haven, Conn., for its 2 p.m. match against the Elis, and the next five hours saw the best Ivy League tennis of the year. The Quakers (12-3, 4-2 Ivy League) came out strong early, taking two of the three doubles matches to give themselves a one-point lead going into the singles competition. The Quakers only needed to split the matches to secure the victory. Five of the six matches went to three sets as the outcome of the match went to the wire. There are only four indoor courts at Yale, so the higher seeds had to wait to play. The third through sixth seeds hit the court first and split their matches. No. 4 Kathy Charneco and No. 6 Andrea Grossman lost, while No. 3 Lara Afanassiev and No. 5 Cori Sibley both won. At this point, the Quakers were on pace to win. But a problem arose in the next match, as No. 1 Barrie Bernstein lost her match in a third-set tie-breaker. Consequently, the fate of the match fell on the shoulders of No. 2 Preety Sorathia. Sorathia came out strong in her match, sweeping the first set 6-0. The next set was almost exactly the opposite as Sorathia fell 2-6. The outcome of an entire day of tennis was going to come down to one set. Sorathia did not let her team down. She scored a 6-0 drubbing of her Yale opponent and won the match 4-3 for Penn. Although the Quakers may have wanted to stop and enjoy the moment, they did not know their weekend marathon was far from over. After a long night of driving and a little sleeping, the Quakers pulled into Providence, R.I., to face off against Brown. The Bears were a solid team that would be extremely tough to beat after Penn's already-trying journey. The Quakers did not start off on the right foot, losing the doubles point. Now they were in the position Yale was in the day before. They would have to win a majority of the six matches to pull out the win. Once again Brown had four indoor courts, and once again it would come down to one match. The first four singles matches were split in much the same fashion as the Yale match. This time Afanassiev and Grossman won, while Charneco and Sibley lost. The Quakers had to win the next two matches in order to escape with the win. Preety Sorathia did not disappoint again. She had no problem with her opponent, winning 6-1, 6-1. The stage was set for No. 1 Bernstein to save her team. Bernstein threw a scare into her teammates early as she lost the first set 4-6. She regained her form and took the next 6-3. The final set showed the determination and character that has carried this team all year. Bernstein went down 2-5, only a game away from elimination. But she somehow pulled herself together and took the next five games and the match, as Penn won 4-3 once again. "It was unbelievable," Penn coach Cissie Leary said. "Those matches showed the leadership of my players." Penn is currently in second place in the Ivies with one match to go. "We knew we were good, but knowing and doing are quite different," Leary said.