W. Tennis has chance for Ivy League title

A Penn win andA Penn win andHarvard loss wouldA Penn win andHarvard loss wouldresult in co-champs After coming away with victories last weekend in two of its toughest matches of the season, the Penn women's tennis team heads into this weekend with a chance to win the Ivy League title. The Quakers (9-5, 5-1 Ivy League) travel to New York to take on a weak Columbia squad today at noon. The Lions will indeed have the home-court advantage because they play on the only clay courts in Division I tennis. With a win against Columbia, the Quakers can guarantee sole possession of second place in the conference. If Harvard loses one of its two remaining matches to either Brown or Yale this weekend, the Crimson will finished tied with Penn in the Ivy standings. And if Harvard loses both contests, the Quakers can win the league title outright with a victory. The Crimson have been completely dominant in conference play this season, and a loss is considered highly unlikely. A Red and Blue loss today, however, could drop Penn into a tie for second place with Cornell and Brown if they win their matches this weekend. The Lions (5-11, 1-5) have only been competitive in one league match this season -- a 6-1 win at Dartmouth two weeks ago. But in a match that bears greater importance to the Ivy League standings, the Quakers expect a tough match. "We have to make sure that we don't look past them," Penn coach Cissie Leary said. "We must continue to play well." Playing in the top two singles spots for Columbia are freshman Vania Yui and senior captain Liz Alina. Both have .500 overall records, but have performed poorly in league competition. Yui and Alina also lead the Lions doubles attack. The players at the bottom half of the Lions lineup have rotated throughout much of the season with little success, including only one victory all season at the No. 3 position. Penn is led by sophomore Lara Afanassiev and freshmen Karen Ridley and Julia Feldman. As long as the Red and Blue stay focused on the task at hand, they should have no problem defeating their highly inferior opponent. And although it is doubtful that Harvard will lose this weekend and give Penn a piece of the league title, a victory for the Quakers is still important so they can finish their successful season on a high note.