W. Tennis focuses on non-Ivies

The Penn women's tennis team faces Penn State and Rutgers at Levy Pavilion this weekend. It would be somewhat understandable if a Penn sports team did not show as much enthusiasm for its non-conference matches. The goal of each group of Quakers athletes is undoubtedly to win the Ivy League, and competition against schools not part of the Ancient Eight may seem less important. Apparently, that is not the inclination of the women's tennis team. The Quakers (1-0) have had the year's best week of practice leading up to two home matches this weekend. The team competes against Rutgers Friday at 2 p.m. and plays Penn State Saturday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played at Levy Pavilion. The Quakers are looking forward to translating a challenging week of practice into match success. "We're feeling really confident about doing well this weekend," freshman Shuba Srinivasan said. "There is a really positive atmosphere around the team." The Quakers had a team meeting last week, at which they discussed the need for positive practice sessions in preparation for this weekend's matches. The results have been extremely satisfying. "We played more sets in practice this week," coach Michael Dowd said. "We are competing much better now than we were before." The team expects a couple of tough matches this weekend. Rutgers is a team known for its tenacity and for playing hard every point. Nothing is expected to be easy against the Scarlet Knights. "Rutgers always plays us very tough," Dowd said. "We had a seven-hour dogfight up there last year." It will not get any less difficult Saturday when the Quakers host Penn State. The Nittany Lions won one of Penn's most competitive matches last year, 5-4, but the Quakers enjoyed some revenge by winning during the fall season. This weekend's match has the potential to be just as competitive for the two teams. Dowd says it is especially big since it is for "bragging rights in the state of Pennsylvania." The strength of Penn State's team begins with the No. 1 doubles team, which will present a challenge for Quakers Elana Gold and Julia Feldman. The other doubles teams for Penn State add strength to the line-up as well; the Nittany Lions' depth is a key to success in their matches. Dowd believes that the effort displayed in practice this week will help all Quakers this weekend, but he thinks it will be especially noticeable for two players. "Julia Feldman had a great week of practice," Dowd said. "She really worked hard and so did Karen Ridley. I think that both players will come out with strong performances this weekend." But what impresses Dowd the most is how the team seems to be coming together at such an important time. "Every member of the team, 1-11, has put in 100 percent so far," Dowd said. "With 11 players working together as a team it makes us much stronger." This team unity and a week of productive practices are expected to make the Quakers successful in this weekend's non-conference matches, which are being taken very seriously by everyone on the team.