M. Tennis flies to Illinois Invitational

the Penn men's tennis team will face top competition such as Florida at the Illinois Invite. The best of the best await the Penn men's tennis team this weekend. The Red and Blue (1-1) leave Thursday for the Illinois Invitational at the University of Illinois, one of their toughest meets this season. Their they will face top 20-ranked teams Middle Tennessee State and Illinois. Penn will also compete against top 10-ranked Florida. After several weeks of competition, the Quakers feel they have enough experience to face these difficult opponents. "I think South Alabama showed us that we can play with the top teams in the country," freshman Oliver Varban said. "We'll be prepared because of South Alabama. Coach [Gene Miller] did a really good job of scheduling top opponents so we'd be prepared. I think we can win against these guys," freshman Eric Sobotka noted. Sobotka was one of the two Quakers to win singles matches against South Alabama February 2. He won his contest over Paul McInerney (6-4, 6-4). Sophomore Mike Klatsky was the other singles winner, triumphing in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). The team has approached practice with a relaxed and even playful attitude all week in preparation for the match. The Quakers have, however, had some bumps along the way with Sobotka and junior Urs Baertschi just getting over the flu. "I had a fever the last two days and today was the first day that I felt a little better," Baertschi said. One important concern for the Quakers is the loss of sophomore Joey Zupan. He will not be attending the meet due to a shoulder injury. "That might hurt us, but I think there are some guys that are going to step it up in Illinois," Sobotka commented. The freshmen were excited about the opportunity to face high-caliber opponents. Meanwhile, the upperclassmen warned of the intense competition and difficulty of the road trip. After arriving in Illinois Thursday evening, the team starts practice at at 5:30 a.m. the next day. The Quakers will compete in three matches each day over the course of the weekend, with all-day matches Friday and Saturday, and will return to Penn Sunday night. "It is a grueling trip, but, at the same time, it's fun to get away from the city for awhile," sophomore Dominic Rioux said. Concern about the difference in Illinois' courts arose as well, but the Quakers say they are prepared for them. "The courts are going to be really slick? really fast, so we're going to have to be aggressive," Varban noted. The Red and Blue have clear tactical plans for meeting the level of their competition. "All these guys hit the ball very solid and very hard, so we're looking to take the ball out the air, [along with] making a lot of first serves. That's another key," Sabatko emphasized. The team will not find out its doubles pairings until they reach Illinois. However, the camaraderie between the teammates and last year's success in doubles play should give Penn an edge over the other teams. The tentative order of the matches is Middle Tennessee State first followed by the Gators and Illinois. This weekend will drain Penn but provide a challenge for them as well. After the difficult weekend, the sleep-deprived Quakers return to Penn to face yet another challenge -- midterms.