Afanassiev leads Penn past Syracuse

The bottom of theThe bottom of theQuakers' lineup alsoThe bottom of theQuakers' lineup alsohelped key the upset Heading into Saturday's match against Syracuse, the Penn women's tennis team knew it would have to count on its depth in order to come away with a victory. Indeed, the strength of the team at the bottom of the lineup did pay off, but the most heroic performance of the match came at the No. 2 singles position by Lara Afanassiev. Led by Afanassiev's victory, the Quakers (4-3) upset Syracuse (1-5) by a match score of 5-2 at the Levy Tennis Pavilion. The Syracuse squad featured two highly-ranked sisters from Czechoslovakia, Nichole and Jana Strnadova, who play No. 1 and 2 singles and team up at No. 1 doubles position. It appeared as if the sisters would go undefeated after they beat Afanassiev and her partner Julia Feldman in doubles and Nichole topped Penn co-captain Preety Sorathia at No. 1 singles. But Afanassiev put an end to the sisters' perfect afternoon and gained revenge with a 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 comeback victory over Jana. After the Strnadova dominated the first set and took a 4-2 lead in the second set, it seemed as if a sisters' sweep was imminent. However, falling behind in a match is not new to Afanassiev, who often begins matches slowly. "I became much more aggressive," Afanassiev said. "I did not play well in the first set, but I knew I could beat her." Afanassiev then rattled off the next four games, winning most of her points at the net, to take the second set. In a back-and-forth third set, Afanassiev fell behind 5-4 and was on the brink of defeat. But as suggested by Quakers coach Cissie Leary, she began the first point of the game with a serve and volley and easily put away the volley. "I needed to start the game off well," Afanassiev said. "I took her by surprise." That point proved to be a turning point in the match, as Afanassiev won the last three games to win the third set, 7-5. Although overshadowed by Afanassiev's thrilling match, the true key to the Quakers' victory was their strength at the lower positions. In fact, Penn was victorious at No. 2 and 3 doubles and at the No. 4, 5 and 6 singles positions. Two of those five victories were due to the strong play of freshman Karen Ridley, who had easy wins at both third doubles and fourth singles. Also leading the charge were co-captains Preety Sorathia and Beth Brady with their win at second doubles. Not only did the victory improve the Quakers' record to above the .500 mark, it also gave the team a huge confidence boost after a disappointing start to the season. "Syracuse beat us badly in the past," Sorathia said. "Beating them this time is a great accomplishment for the team." Leary agreed about the importance of the match. "We have had a few setbacks this year," she said. "However, the team is growing up quickly, and I am excited about the rest of the season."