Crimson slip past Penn; Big Green don't

Penn's Anastasia Pozdniakova kept her team alive versus Harvard. Picture this. All of the singles matches are over -- except for one. Penn freshman Anastasia Pozdniakova is concentrating on the third set of the No. 1 singles match, while the rest of the Quakers are sitting on the sidelines anxiously waiting to see who will win the final point. If Pozdniakova wins, Penn still has a chance to beat Harvard; if she loses, the Crimson will be up 5-1, and it will be impossible for the Quakers to win, even if they sweep the doubles matches. Seem like a lot of pressure on one person? It was a weekend of intensity and exhaustion not only for Pozdniakova, but for the entire Penn women's tennis team. After losing a close match to Harvard on Friday by a score of 5-4, the Quakers (16-6, 3-2 Ivy League) came back on Saturday to beat Dartmouth, 6-3, at the Lott Courts. "We are very tired," Pozdniakova said. "It was very intense, and we are also very tired emotionally." Although the Quakers lost to the Crimson, ranked No. 25 in the nation, they were by no means dominated by Harvard. With equally solid efforts put forth by both teams, the match could have clearly gone either way. "We really wanted to beat them, and we were feeling the intensity. Both teams gave everything they could," Pozdniakova said. Playing at the No. 6 spot, freshman Elana Gold captured one of Penn's two wins in the singles matches. Pozdniakova had the other. "My match was really tough," Pozdniakova said. "I was playing with a lot of pressure. If I lost, the match was over and the doubles didn't really matter. When I won, every girl on the team came onto the court and gave me a hug? When you win, you know you were able to do something for yourself and for the team." The Quakers carried the momentum from Pozdniakova's win to the doubles competition, but they were only able to come out on top in two of the three matches. To beat Harvard, Penn needed to win all of them. Prior to the weekend, Penn coach Michael Dowd noted that it would be absolutely necessary for the team to refocus after playing Harvard in preparation for the Big Green the next day. The Quakers understood, and they were ready. "It was tough to come out again the next day and get going again," Pozdniakova said. "But we knew Dartmouth was just as important." Penn split the singles matches with the Big Green, as Gold, Brooke Herman and Lara Afanassiev won their matches at the No. 6, No. 5 and No. 2 spots, respectively. In doubles, however, Dartmouth had no chance to score, as the Quakers won all three matches. Last on Penn's schedule is a road trip to Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday. Both teams will offer significant challenges to the Quakers, but with a little rest, Penn will be ready to end their season with a winning record of 5-2 in the Ivy League.