Penn awaits a good outing

Today will be the breakout day for the Penn women's tennis team, if history is any indication. The Quakers will face the Army at Penn's Lott Courts at 2 p.m. today, and the team knows it is in a great position to get a huge boost from the match. The Quakers definitely have a strong group of players, and they are looking to start their year with a bang. Last year against Army, Penn cleaned up, winning all nine of their matches. This year's Penn team returns all of its players, so they anticipate repeating the success of a year ago. Solid play today may signal the beginning of another successful season for the Quakers. Although no team should be taken lightly, especially this early in the fall season, Penn should get on a winning track against the Cadets. Facing Army seems like an easy matchup for the Quakers, who believe well-prepared because of their early-season tournament schedule. The competition today will definitely be more focused and team-oriented, according to Penn coach Michael Dowd. Senior co-captains Lara Afanassiev and Andrea Grossman lead the younger Quakers into their first home matches. For the first time this season, the Penn players face a common opponent, and having this take place on their home courts can only help the team. "We have an excellent chance of doing very well," said Dowd, who expects Army to be one of the weaker teams Penn will face. "[Army is] a good match to get our confidence back." With a victory expected, Dowd will be as interested in looking for individual and doubles team improvement in this match as in the actual final match scores. This is the first dual meet of the year that will count toward the overall team standings. This match will definitely help the Red and Blue get a feel for team play, and will help them to gear up for their all-important Ivy League opponents who they face later this season. All 12 players will be present at this home match, but at this time, Dowd is unsure of which players will compete. Several players may compete in both doubles and singles, but as is always the case early in the season, neither line-up is certain.

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