Rutgers and Penn State had much 'love' this weekend

The Penn women's tennis team destroyed Rutgers 9-0 and Penn State 8-1 at the Levy Pavilion on V-Day weekend. If you are looking for a little love, don't try the Penn women's tennis team on Valentine's Day. Of course, Friday the 13th isn't a great idea, either. The Quakers (3-0) showed no compassion for either Rutgers or Penn State over the weekend, dominating both matches to stay unbeaten in dual-match play. Penn won Friday against Rutgers, 9-0, as the usually pesky Scarlet Knights could not compete with the stronger Quakers. "I was really pleased by the way we dominated Rutgers," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "They usually give us a tough match, but we never let them breathe." The real challenge, however, was supposed to be Saturday. Penn State beat the Quakers last year. And while Penn won the match between the two schools last fall, this season's outcome was not assured in the Red and Blue's favor. Last winter's loss, combined with the natural battle for Pennsylvania tennis supremacy, made this an especially important match. And the Quakers were ready for it,winning eight of nine matches. The only loss for Penn came at the No. 1 doubles position, where the highly-regarded Nittany Lions' team of Pilar Montgomery and Alison Barnett slipped past the Quakers duo of sophomore Elana Gold and junior Julia Feldman. The most notable match was played by Quakers junior Karen Ridley, who beat Barnett at No. 2 singles 7-5, 7-6. Ridley came back from a 5-1 second-set deficit to win in the tie-breaker. "I was really impressed by Karen's match," Dowd said. "We've really been working hard in practice to close out matches. Karen really showed that in her match." The Quakers knew they had the potential for a very successful season, but this weekend may have really opened some eyes. Penn last season finished a strong third in the Ivy League when it lost to Penn State and struggled against Rutgers. The obvious improvement has the Quakers feeling very good about their level of play. "Our matches this weekend will really give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season," junior Brooke Herman said. "We just need to make sure we keep doing what we're doing in this week's practices." Many Quakers will get the chance to compete in personal competition at the Princeton Invitational this weekend, but their performances will provide another indication of the strength of whole team. For the rest of the team it is a chance to take it slowly this week before more intense practices next week to prepare for Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond, two schools which are expected to pose challenges. "We need to keep challenging ourselves," Dowd said. "We don't want to get stagnant." Perhaps the most important consequence is the feeling of confidence. "The team really believes they are good now," Dowd said. "We are really a contender ready to take a giant step." If the Quakers continue their recent high level of play, that step may come very soon.