W. Tennis hosted Rolex

The Penn women's tennis team was honored to have three players invited to participate in one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Championship, this past weekend at Penn's Levy Pavilion. Senior co-captain Preety Sorathia, sophomore Lara Afanassiev and freshman Julia Feldman all participated in the tournament. Merely having three players invited to the event provided a boost to the Quakers' confidence. But the fact each of the players played solid matches made the tournament extra special. "This was a tough tournament and winning any match is good," Penn coach Cissie Leary said. "It was the cream of the crop." In doubles, Sorathia and Feldman beat a top team from Loyola, 6-0, 6-2, to reach the second round. There they lost to the No. 1 doubles team from Maryland in a hard-fought match, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. "I don't think we played poorly but we were very erratic," Sorathia said of her team's defeat. "We were not consistent through the entire match and that hurt us the most." Despite the team's early exit in the tournament, Feldman feels confident she and Sorathia will be solid throughout the spring season. "For the amount of time we have played together, we have done very well," Feldman said. "But hopefully we will continue to improve in the spring." In singles Feldman had a bye in the first round and lost to Georgetown's No. 1 player, Laura Schoellkoph, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), in the following round. "It was a close match but I was missing a lot of returns," Feldman said. "I didn't get tired but I wasn't concentrating as well towards the end and she kept pushing me." Afanassiev also lost in the second round of singles, but not before beating Temple's No. 1 player, Darcy Rabenda, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round. The tournament's end marked the finish of the fall season for the Quakers. The fall season was very impressive but the young Penn team has more to prove in the spring when league play gets going. "The spring season will be competitive, but it will be fun," Leary said. "We are a young team but we can definitely play." Sorathia carries Leary's same spirit and optimism. "The younger girls have more experience and now know what to expect," Sorathia said. "We have been very competitive in these tournaments so we should do very well in the spring."