Quakers' trio sees limited success in Princeton

Coming off dominant victories over Temple and Rutgers, three members of the Penn women's tennis team went into the Princeton Invitational last weekend hoping to prove that they are among the top players in the East. With an impressive field in attendance, the stage was set for strong performances all around. The results for Penn, however, were mixed. Sophomore Karen Ridley gave Penn's most impressive performance, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 32-person tournament. Despite being unseeded, Ridley easily defeated sixth-seeded Sarah Naisons-Phillips of Yale in two sets and Tory Schrueder of James Madison, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Ridley faced Rosemary She, Harvard's No. 2 player. After winning the first set and being up 4-0 in the second set, She fought back and eventually pulled off a come-from-behind 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Although she was surprised by her successful showing, Ridley was encouraged by her performance because she felt the best is yet to come. "I didn't feel like I was playing my best tennis. Hopefully, I'll peak for the Ivy League season," Ridley said. Of special significance was Ridley's first-round victory over Naisons-Phillips. Last season, Ridley defeated the Yale star in a third-set tiebreaker, giving Penn the match victory. "I was thinking after I won, 'This is for Cissie.' She would have been really pumped-up," Ridley said, referring to former Penn coach Cissie Leary, who passed away late last year. Also in singles action, sophomore Julia Feldman was victorious over Jennifer Lang of Dartmouth, cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 victory. In the second round, however, Feldman had a much more difficult time, losing to the No. 7 seed from Seton Hall, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3. Although Feldman feels she definitely had a shot at winning the match, she was simply outlasted in the decisive third set. "I just grew mentally tired," Feldman said. After a grueling second set, in which she was forced to fend off a mentally and physically exhausting eight match points, Feldman's concentration lapsed, leading to a series of unforced errors. The ineffectiveness of her first serves allowed her opponent come out attacking on her second serves. Although she was definitely disappointed with her performance, Feldman impressed many with her determination and perseverance in the second set, as she fought hard to stay alive. Playing in her third match of the day, Feldman teamed up with Penn junior co-captain Lara Afanassiev in doubles action versus Rutgers. The tandem, ranked No. 8 in the East, entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. After an easy win in the first round, the Quakers hit a brick wall in the form of pumped-up Dartmouth representatives. Despite breezing through the first set, 6-0, Afanassiev and Feldman lost their concentration during the second set, losing 6-3, and had trouble recovering throughout the remainder of the match. Penn regrouped and played better in the third set, but Dartmouth frustrated Afanassiev and Feldman, winning every crucial point and pulling out a 7-6 victory. "All we need is to work on our concentration. We know how to play tennis, we're just too up and down. We'll play really well, then lose a game and it effects our next two or three games," Feldman said. The results show that the Quakers still have room for improvement before the conference season begins. On the other hand, Ridley's outstanding performance is certainly an encouraging sign for the spring.