Quakers are lucky Ridley got serious about tennis

Sophomore No. 2 singles Karen Ridley is a "quiet leader" for the Penn women's tennis team. If you've been reading about Penn's tennis program lately, you may have read last week about the "silent leader" of the men's team, otherwise known as Marc Fisicaro. Well, it seems the women's team is fortunate enough to have a "quiet leader" of its own. This is exactly how Quakers coach Michael Dowd describes his No. 2 singles player, sophomore Karen Ridley. "I look at Karen at times as the unsung hero of the team," Dowd said. "She is a quiet leader who never ceases to amaze me." In addition to their similar singles positions and leadership roles, Fisicaro and Ridley share several other admirable qualities, such as their drive to constantly improve their games and love for competition and victory. They even have a common goal for their respective teams -- to win an Ivy League title. One might think such a well-respected player always had a strong passion for tennis. But, that's not the case here -- not exactly, anyway. Because her mother is an avid tennis player, Ridley was exposed to the game as early as the age of five, when she was enrolled in daycare and hand-eye coordination classes. It wasn't until she was nine years old that she participated in her first local, competitive tournament, and even then, she was not convinced tennis was her sport. "I went through a period around the ages of 13 to 16 when I was not really into it," Ridley said. "But, when I decided I really liked it, and I knew I needed to have a national ranking, my parents couldn't get me off the tennis court." The Allison Park, Pa. native was on the tennis team all four years in high school, although it was not until her junior year that her interest in tennis began to peak. As a junior, Ridley won the state doubles championship and was ranked No. 129 in the country in the 18-and-under bracket for singles play. In the next year, Ridley found herself 13th in the national amateur rankings. When it came time to choose which college she would attend, Ridley was offered scholarships to schools such as Georgetown and Boston College, but former Quakers coach Cissie Leary played a large role in her decision to come to Penn. Leary was Ridley's coach for her intersectional team, and it was then that Ridley knew she wanted to continue playing for her. "Cissie was definitely a big factor," Ridley said. "I had a really good recruiting trip and I liked all the girls, but I really loved Cissie." As a freshman at Penn, Ridley had an impressive singles record of 5-2 in the Ivy League during the spring season, and she is well on her way to another successful season, as she defeated her first Ivy League opponent last weekend against Princeton. This weekend's match against Syracuse will serve as good preparation for her upcoming matches with the remaining Ivy League competitors. "Her hard work and dedication is paying off," Dowd said. "She has really taken her game to the next level." The one thing that stands out to everyone as a major factor in Ridley's success is her positive attitude. "My strength is my mental game," Ridley said. "I always give 100 percent through the whole match. I never give up. With tennis, it could go either way. I know that on paper, even if it says she's better, I have just as much of a chance to win as she has. In college, everyone is fit and has good strokes, so attitude is what sets apart the good players from the best." In Dowd's opinion, Ridley's assessment of herself is absolutely correct. "Karen's greatest strength is her character and passion," Dowd said. "She loves the game. She loves tennis. And she loves to compete. She is always ready to play, in every match and every practice. She's a clutch player. When the score's three all, Karen's someone you'd want to have in there playing. Any college team would want to have her." It shouldn't surprise you then to hear that one of Ridley's teammates and doubles' partners, sophomore Brooke Herman, also agrees. "She has a great attitude," Herman said. "She has tons of energy. She's a great motivator, and an excellent player." No matter who you ask, it seems that anyone who knows Karen Ridley will tell you she's a team leader both on and off the court. Sound familiar? That's because people say the same about Marc Fisicaro. Whoever said that men's sports can't ever be equal to women's has just been proven wrong.