Kish and Fisicaro excel while M. Tennis struggles

Penn ended its seasonPenn ended its seasonwith a poor outing at thePenn ended its seasonwith a poor outing at theRolex Championships. The fall season for the Penn men's tennis team has certainly been an educational experience. The Quakers learned that they have to put a lot of work in if they want to compete for the Ivy League title in the spring. Penn concluded its fall season at the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Championships at Princeton over the weekend with another mediocre showing, only slightly better than its performance at the Penn Conference Classic two weeks ago. Once again, sophomore Udi Kish and junior Mark Fisicaro led Penn's charge in the individual tournament. Kish, the No. 10 seed in the singles tournament, got a bye in the first round and won two matches before losing in the fourth round. He defeated Eric Meditz of Penn State, 6-3, 6-4, and cruised past Dartmouth's Andrew Evans, 6-3, 6-1, before falling to seventh-seeded Ivan Rodrigo of Miami. Fisicaro, who earned the No. 16 seed in the tournament, also got a bye in the first round. He advanced further after a 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 battle with George Washington's Brad Shafran. But he could not hold on in the third round after winning the first set against Virginia Tech's Marak Pfeil. He eventually lost the match to his unseeded foe, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. No one else on the Quakers roster advanced passed the second round. Senior J.J. Cramer, freshman Dominic Rioux and freshman Mike Klatsky each won one match before bowing out of the tournament. In doubles play, Kish and Fisicaro again posted Penn's best result, advancing to the third round. They defeated Columbia, 9-8, and Princeton, 8-6, before losing to No. 6 seed Harvard, 8-4. "The results don't lie," Penn coach Gene Miller said. "We have a lot of work to do before the spring season." Although it was a difficult season for the Quakers, they are still confident about their chances in the spring due to the quality play of Kish and Fisicaro. The season, which was dominated by individual tournaments, was highlighted by Kish's triumph over Notre Dame's Ryan Simme, the No. 15 ranked player in the country, en route to winning the Princeton Invitational. Fisicaro also showed that he is a force to be reckoned with, after good showings at the ITA National Clay Court Championships and the Princeton Invitational. The strength of the team, however, may be its depth, and Penn has had only one chance to prove itself as a team in dual match play this fall. The Quakers defeated Ivy League foe Dartmouth at the ECACs at Princeton, but the win was overshadowed by a thrashing at the hands of Harvard. "We are team-oriented, but have not put in the work necessary to win," Miller said. "We need to commit to a great work ethic throughout the entire off-season and through the end of the year." During the spring season, the Quakers will no longer play as individuals, but as a team. Penn, which is not thought of as one of the top squads in the league, will try to prove that it belongs among the elite. "We have not earned respect yet," Miller said. "But I think we could catch people off guard and make a run for the title. By Jon Singer The Daily Pennsylvanian The fall season for the Penn men's tennis team has certainly been an educational experience. The Quakers learned that they have to put a lot of work in if they want to compete for the Ivy League title in the spring. Penn concluded its fall season at the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Championships at Princeton over the weekend with another mediocre showing, only slightly better than its performance at the Penn Conference Classic two weeks ago. Once again, sophomore Udi Kish and junior Mark Fisicaro led Penn's charge in the individual tournament. Kish, the No. 10 seed in the singles tournament, got a bye in the first round and won two matches before losing in the fourth round. He defeated Eric Meditz of Penn State, 6-3, 6-4, and cruised past Dartmouth's Andrew Evans, 6-3, 6-1, before falling to seventh-seeded Ivan Rodrigo of Miami. Fisicaro, who earned the No. 16 seed in the tournament, also got a bye in the first round. He advanced further after a 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 battle with George Washington's Brad Shafran. But he could not hold on in the third round after winning the first set against Virginia Tech's Marak Pfeil. He eventually lost the match to his unseeded foe, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. No one else on the Quakers roster advanced passed the second round. Senior J.J. Cramer, freshman Dominic Rioux and freshman Mike Klatsky each won one match before bowing out of the tournament. In doubles play, Kish and Fisicaro again posted Penn's best result, advancing to the third round. They defeated Columbia, 9-8, and Princeton, 8-6, before losing to No. 6 seed Harvard, 8-4. "The results don't lie," Penn coach Gene Miller said. "We have a lot of work to do before the spring season." Although it was a difficult season for the Quakers, they are still confident about their chances in the spring due to the quality play of Kish and Fisicaro. The season, which was dominated by individual tournaments, was highlighted by Kish's triumph over Notre Dame's Ryan Simme, the No. 15 ranked player in the country, en route to winning the Princeton Invitational. Fisicaro also showed that he is a force to be reckoned with, after good showings at the ITA National Clay Court Championships and the Princeton Invitational. The strength of the team, however, may be its depth, and Penn has had only one chance to prove itself as a team in dual match play this fall. The Quakers defeated Ivy League foe Dartmouth at the ECACs at Princeton, but the win was overshadowed by a thrashing at the hands of Harvard. "We are team-oriented, but have not put in the work necessary to win," Miller said. "We need to commit to a great work ethic throughout the entire off-season and through the end of the year." During the spring season, the Quakers will no longer play as individuals, but as a team. Penn, which is not thought of as one of the top squads in the league, will try to prove that it belongs among the elite. "We have not earned respect yet," Miller said. "But I think we could catch people off guard and make a run for the title.