M. Tennis to close out season tomorrow

Quakers to take onQuakers to take onGarnet, Lions Beginning in early September and lasting until this weekend, the tennis season is unquestionably one of the longest. While all involved with the Penn men's tennis program would agree the season has not turned out as well as they had hoped, this weekend provides the Red and Blue with a chance to redeem themselves. Hosting both Columbia (5-1 Ivy League) and Swarthmore tomorrow at noon, Penn hopes to end the season on a good note. Swarthmore will be the second of the two matches played, beginning after the Columbia match finishes. An annual contender in the NCAA Division III tournament, the Garnet may again make the tournament this year. The first match tomorrow, though, is what really has the Quakers focused. The Lions, who Penn has not defeated in Quakers coach Gene Miller's tenure, suffered their only Ivy League loss to national-powerhouse Harvard. "We are hoping to salvage the season by beating them," Penn senior co-captain Jeff Jackson said. The top four teams from the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis League, which includes the eight Ivy schools and Army and Navy, advance to the NCAA Division I tournament. With a victory tomorrow, the Lions would clinch one of those four slots. "We are really looking to end on a great note," Miller said. "We would like to try to spoil Columbia's season." Every Penn player will dress for the Columbia contest. "I feel that [the rough season] was one our team had to go through to get to the next level," Miller said. Having played seven of the nation's top 40 teams and many of the nation's premier individual players, the Quakers hope to use this season as a springboard to future successes. "I'm finding Ivy League and EITL tennis to be very competitive as compared to the past," Miller said. "There are no longer any doormats." With a young team, the Quakers hope to improve next year, although they will miss the senior leadership of Jackson. "I'm very proud of my guys for giving everything till the end, each player is a better tennis player than when we started," Miller said. And if that is the case, then maybe Penn can pull of the upset of Columbia tomorrow.