W. Tennis records yet another shutout, this time against the Black Knights

Pozdniakova, playing in the No. 1Pozdniakova, playing in the No. 1spot for the first time, wins inPozdniakova, playing in the No. 1spot for the first time, wins instraight sets The Penn women's tennis team could have been forgiven if it had looked past Friday's match with Army. The Black Knights, with players strong on spirit but short on talent, are the kind of team that can sneak up on a better opponent if they are underestimated. The Quakers, fresh off a dominant performance in the Eastern Collegiate tournament and looking forward to a matchup next weekend with a powerful Penn State team, seemed in danger of doing just that. Not a chance. Every Quaker that stepped on the court gave a solid performance as Penn went on to record its third straight shutout in dual matches by a final score of 9-0. Despite the shutout, Penn (3-0) had its hands full. Showing an admirable resolve and fire, Army fought the Quakers tooth and nail, going after every ball and making Penn work for every point. Penn coach Cissie Leary decided to mix up the lineup a bit, playing freshman Anastasia Pozdniakova in the No. 1 singles position and junior co-captain Lara Afanassiev in the No. 2 slot. The results were familiar. Pozdniakova fought off a wily opponent in Army's Amanda Sentelle, winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Sentelle could only shake her head in frustration as Pozdniakova ripped cross-court winners seemingly at will, but played with enough patience to make the second set interesting. Afanassiev overcame a slow start in the second set of her match to win easily, 6-0, 6-4. "They fought hard," Afanassiev said. "This match was really good experience for next weekend." Penn sophomore Karen Ridley, in a match marked by several long volleys where both players refused to give an inch, eventually wore down a tough opponent in Army's Jennifer Blatty, winning, 6-4, 6-0. One of the most dominant performances of the day was turned in by Penn's No. 4 singles player, sophomore Julia Feldman. In control of the match from start to finish, Feldman had success in every facet of the game, whether it was rocketing winners from the baseline or challenging her opponent at the net, as she took the match, 6-1, 6-1. In the match of the day, Penn junior co-captain and No. 5 singles player Andi Grossman found herself facing an opponent that was her mirror image in intensity. Luckily for Grossman, she had the edge in talent and won in three sets, 6-0, 3-6, 6-0. To finish off the sweep in singles play, sophomore Romy Mehlman, the No. 6 singles player, hardly broke a sweat as she crushed Army's Jamie Baker, 6-1, 6-0. In doubles play, the Knights were no less resilient, but not quite as competitive. Penn's No. 1 doubles pair of Afanassiev and Feldman, fresh off a tournament win a week ago at the Eastern Collegiates, led the way with a convincing 8-2 victory over Army's Sentelle and Betsy Evans. Both the No. 2 doubles team, consisting of Ridley and sophomore Alison Lacika, and the No. 3 team, made up of Pozdniakova and freshman Elana Gold, followed their teammates example, winning by the same score of 8-2. For Penn, the win was just another stepping stone as they ready themselves for the powerhouses yet to come. "We're jumping into the fire now," Leary said. "We've passed some tests, but things are about to get tougher. Penn State's a big match and the ITA [tournament] is huge."