Penn Conf. Classic is first of two home tourneys this fall

The Penn men's tennis team will face stiff competition in its first of two home tournaments of the fall season as the three-day Penn Conference Classic opens today at the Levy Pavilion. The tournament, now in its sixth year, consists of a singles draw, which will feature nine Quakers, and a doubles draw, including four Penn entries. They will be pitted against some of the best teams in the country, including Northwestern, Virginia Commonwealth and South Alabama, in addition to Ivy League rivals Princeton, Dartmouth and Harvard. "When the tournament started, Penn invited many teams in the top 40," Quakers coach Gene Miller said. "But, in the past two or three years, we have invited teams in the top 20." Miller reasons that, by inviting premier teams, the Quakers will be better prepared for their regular schedule. But, despite the strong talent in the tournament, Miller is not going in with a defeatist attitude. "Winning is certainly not out of the question, because we've done it before," Miller said. "We've had success against some of these teams, and anything can happen during a tournament." Penn sophomore Adam Harris is also confident in the Quakers' chances in the competition. "We've done the conditioning, we've done the preparation, now it's a question of going out and winning," Harris said. The Penn Conference Classic is the Quakers' penultimate tournament of the season, but some believe that questions about the lineup remain going into the spring season. "The draw is wide open," Penn junior Urs Baertschi says. "The freshmen played well this season, and some of the returning players are just getting into top form after not playing during the summer." Miller agrees, saying, "In the past, guys would label themselves in a certain place on the ladder within the team, but this year the players feel that anybody can beat anybody else." Miller also believes a productive offseason is necessary for success for the spring. The team's work ethic, Miller believes, will be the difference between winning and losing. He uses a recent match as an example: "During a tournament, we beat Columbia 4-3, whereas last year we lost 7-0. The difference between the two matches was work ethic." Last year, the Quakers had a disappointing showing at the Conference Classic. No singles players advanced into the second day of competition, while all of the doubles teams drew first round seeds and lost all four matches. Penn's last tournament of the season is the ITA Rolex Regional, which is also at home. Players must qualify through their season record for that competition, which will take place November 6-10.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.