Study says emergency system in good shape Heading into weekend matches against high ranking Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond, the Penn women's tennis team knows that it has its work cut out. The Quakers (3-0) will face VCU Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and Richmond Sunday at noon. Both matches will take place at Virginia Commonwealth. According to Penn coach Michael Dowd, the next few days of tennis present a challenge which his team welcomes. "We've put in a lot of practice and have done a lot of conditioning. Now, it's time to play," Dowd said. Time to play indeed, as the Quakers, led by sophomore Anastasia Pozdniakova, seek to avenge a close loss to Richmond earlier in the season. Even with the daunting task of facing Richmond's first doubles team, which is ranked 12th nationally, the Red and Blue are confident about their chances of conquest. The key to this confidence, Dowd said, has been in the abundance of doubles matches and drills that have been incorporated into this week's practices. Dowd was particularly impressed with the efforts of sophomore Elana Gold, who may very likely be a determining factor in the Quakers' success this weekend. "Elana had a very good week of practice," Dowd said. "She's ready to take a big jump in competition." To gain victories against Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond this weekend the entire team must play its best. The Quakers' success thus far this season has provided them with the confidence in themselves that they can defeat these two opponents. "I'm very satisfied with the way our season has gone so far, but both teams we face this weekend are strong." Dowd said. The Quakers may have their work cut out for them this weekend, but Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond may find out the hard way that Penn is the right team for the job.
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