Georgetown to challenge Penn's depth

One of the most misconceived notions in collegiate sports is the idea that tennis is not a team sport. Yes, it is true that each player must face their own battle when they step on the court, but it hardly can be said that they go out there alone. Each match counts for only one point in the overall score. The No. 1 singles player can destroy her opponent and still walk away on the wrong end of a blowout. Unlike sports such as basketball, baseball and even football, where one standout performance can take over a game, the efforts of a single tennis player cannot outweigh the efforts (or lack thereof) of another teammate. That is what makes this year's edition of the Penn women's tennis team (1-0) so exciting. From top to bottom, the team is rock solid. In fact, the depth of the team has caused coach Cissie Leary problems that other coaches would love to have. She doesn't have to worry about a lack of talent on the team. If anything, with only six spots available for singles play, she has too much. The Quakers will begin sorting out their roster spots Sunday at 2 p.m. in a non-conference match at Georgetown (0-0). Penn sophomore Karen Ridley, who played in the No. 3 singles spot in last week's shutout of Swarthmore, talked about the pressure that comes from playing on such a talented team. "I think that all you can really do is play your best," Ridley said. "It is in your own control, and no one can do anything for you. But the more time you put into it, the better results you'll get." Quakers sophomore Julia Feldman, who played right below Ridley in the No. 4 singles spot, agreed. "The depth that we have is so close that it's very difficult to decide who should play what position," Feldman said. "It is very competitive, but we are a team." Vying for the sixth and final singles spot are sophomores Allie Lacika and Amy Wax. Lacika played in that spot for the Swarthmore match, but Leary feels that right now, with the talent she has on the team, no one's spot is set in stone -- especially with several incoming freshman who still have not had the chance to prove themselves. The Hoyas, led by junior Laura Schoellkopf, finished with a dual match record of 10-14 last year and a 10th place finish in the Big East Conference. The Red and Blue shouldn't have too much trouble in the match, but Leary notes that the Hoyas are pretty solid with what they have and could cause her team some problems. "I think [Georgetown] is in between the Harvards and the Swarthmores," Leary said. "Hopefully, we should do okay. It's another stepping stone for some of the other tougher matches we have coming up this fall."