W. Tennis looks to bounce back from loss with win over Big Red

The Penn women's tennis team looks to get back on the winning track this weekend after taking a solid 7-2 beating by Maryland on Tuesday -- snapping the Quakers three-match winning streak. Penn (5-4, 1-0 Ivy League) hopes to rebound today against Cornell at 2 p.m. at the Levy Tennis Pavilion. The Quakers had beaten the Terrapins in each of the last two years, but this season Maryland has rebuilt its team and was too much for Penn to handle. The Terps dominated the Quakers -- winning at all six singles positions. The closest match came at No. 1 singles where Quakers co-captain Preety Sorathia lost in three sets to freshman Thea Ivanisevic, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. "It was a tough match," Sorathia said. "She was a big hitter and made some amazing shots." The only bright spots for the Quakers were at the doubles positions after Maryland had already secured victory. Penn's No. 1 team Lara Afanassiev and Julia Feldman won, 8-1, and the team of Sorathia and Beth Brady won at No. 2 doubles, 8-5, to post the Quakers' only two victories of the day. The match was played outdoors in extremely windy conditions, and the Quakers suffered partly because they had not practiced much outside and found the adjustment difficult. "The match is over," Penn coach Cissie Leary said. "We have had our ups and downs this season, but we have to move forward." Now the Quakers head into the heart of the Ivy League season with their match against Cornell (7-0, 0-0) this weekend. Cornell is undefeated, but has yet to play a conference match. Last year, the Big Red finished tied with Penn in league play, but defeated the Quakers by a score of 5-2 in head-to-head competition. Penn had match points in two of the matches and was close to pulling off a 4-3 victory, but fell short in both games. On Friday, Penn hopes to get its revenge with a new-look team. Cornell is led by the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Olga Itskhoki. At the No. 1 singles position, she has not lost a conference match in two years. She also teams up with No. 2 singles player Monica Bertsch to play No. 1 doubles. "I am not nervous about playing her," Sorathia said. "She is a great player, but is definitely beatable." The Big Red, which features four freshmen, is deeper than it has been in the past and will present a challenge for the Quakers. However, after being beaten in convincing fashion by Maryland, the Quakers are looking to rebound and show the Ivy League that they will be a strong contender for the title.