Quakers will be tested in three weekend matches

Penn to host 'Nova,Penn to host 'Nova,Dartmouth andPenn to host 'Nova,Dartmouth andHarvard over two days The Penn men's tennis team faces a unique challenge this weekend. Hosting both Villanova and Dartmouth today and then matching up with Harvard tomorrow, the Quakers will need to use their depth to go for three victories at the Lott Courts. Penn coach Gene Miller will use a mix of young talent and veteran leadership to begin today's action against the Wildcats. With veterans Udi Kish, Jeff Jackson and J.J. Cramer already fixtures in the lineup, Miller will add freshman Drew Pozatek to his singles lineup. Hoping to play a revised format of four singles and one doubles match, Miller will try sophomore Dan Chen and junior Nik Bhattacharya at doubles. "I feel pretty excited about it," Bhattacharya said. "I think I'm ready to step up and play a big match." Upon the conclusion of the Wildcat smatch, Kish, Cramer and Jackson will play again against Dartmouth. With the health of Penn freshman Urs Baertschi questionable, Miller will use freshman David Schwartzman along with veterans Marc Fisicaro and Brad Goldberg to finish out the singles teams. The Quakers will need to be at the top of their game against Dartmouth. The Big Green were conference champions just two years ago. "We need to be more tenacious," Miller said. "We can't afford any errors or any lapses in concentration." While it is likely that today's action will finish by 7:00 p.m., the Quakers need to be right back on the courts tomorrow at noon to face Harvard, the top team in the Ivy League. Even though the Crimson have a mediocre 6-8 overall record, an extremely difficult out-of-conference schedule does much to explain the subpar record. While the competition has been tough, Miller noted that Harvard's confidence may be low from taking so many early season losses. In addition, Penn knows upsets can happen, as evidenced by its own loss to Army last week. The Quakers certainly hope to use the entire regular varsity lineup against the Crimson, depending on Baertschi's health. Currently 1-1 in the Ivy League, this weekend could prove pivotal for the Quakers' postseason hopes.