W. Tennis glides through first challenge

After dominating an under-manned Temple squad in the season opener, the Penn women's tennis team entered Friday's match at Rutgers in need of some stronger competition. The Quakers got just that in facing a tough Rutgers squad, a member of the Big East conference, yet still managed to come out with a resounding 6-3 victory. All did not start out well, however, for the Red and Blue. Facing an intense, hostile environment for the first time this season caught them off guard, as Penn quickly found itself down a set in each of the first three matches. However, the team rallied, cheered each other on and fought back to record victories in each of these matches. Freshman Anastasia Pozdniakova was victorious at No. 1 singles, followed by junior co-captain Lara Afanassiev at second singles and sophomore Karen Ridley at No. 3 singles. Afanassiev had a particularly tough time, suffering a wrist injury in the first set, which caused her a great deal of pain, especially on longer strokes. After losing the set, however, she realized she could minimize the pain by being more aggressive and rushing the net. This strategy proved immediately effective, as Afanassiev managed to fight off the pain and cruise the rest of the way to a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory. "After the first set, I noticed that Anastasia and Karen were also down a set and I realized that I had to step it up," Afanassiev said. Afanassiev did not stop there, though. She continued to battle, teaming up with sophomore Julia Feldman in No.1 doubles for a hard-fought 8-4 victory. While Ridley and freshman Allie Lacika were defeated in second doubles, Pozdniakova and Elana Gold also combined for the victory in the third spot. Rounding out the singles matches, Feldman was victorious at No. 4 singles, while junior co-captain Andi Grossman and sophomore Yukie Tokuda were defeated. All things considered, this was an important victory for the relatively inexperienced Penn squad. In defeating the Scarlet Knights, the Quakers proved to themselves, as well as the rest of the region, that they are a team to be reckoned with. "We definitely needed a high-quality match to get us mentally prepared for what's to come," Afanassiev said. The match was especially crucial because it is the last team competition the Quakers will see before an 11-day West Coast road trip over Spring Break. There, the Quakers are sure to be prepared for four tough matches in five days, highlighted by a battle versus No. 20 San Diego. Yet they don't plan to devote their time in California exclusively to tennis. "We play five matches and we'll practice every day, but we only practice for two hours a day," Afanassiev said. That should leave them plenty of time for fun in the sun, as all 11 team members will be making the trip. Before going west, however, Afanassiev, Feldman, and Ridley will represent Penn this weekend in the Princeton Invitational, an individual tournament including the top players from 10 to 15 of the top teams in the east. Afanassiev and Feldman, currently ranked eighth in the region, look to improve their rating with an impressive showing this weekend, while Feldman and Ridley are also entered in singles competition