M. Tennis meets Philly rivals

How many games does it take to break .500? Too many for Penn men's tennis. Prior to spring break, the Quakers (3-7), reached the magic mark by defeating regional foes George Washington and St. Bonneventure. Their trip out west to take on Notre Dame, UC-Irvine and Pepperdine, in various California outdoor courts, quickly changed the Red and Blue's season record for the worst, with the team losing all three matches to the higher ranked opponents. However, the Quakers played respectable games, with players taking the Fighting Irish, Anteaters and the Waves to close tiebreaker sets. The first meeting was against Notre Dame at the LaJolla Beach and Tennis club on March 9. The Quakers fell to the sports powerhouse 7-0. Penn freshman Oliver Varban defeated Vijay Freeman 6-4, but it was an exhibition match. Penn faired no better at UC-Irvine's outdoor courts on March 13, again being blanked 7-0. The younger Quakers made a strong showing in singles with both sophomore Mike Klatsky and freshman Eric Sobotka taking their opponents to tiebreakers. Klatsky fell to Nick Varvais in a tight match 6-4, 6-4, 7-6; while Sobotka was laid low by the Anteaters' Nick Varvais, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0. The only Penn win was courtesy of the first doubles duo, lone senior Marc Fisicaro and junior Urs Baertschi. The twosome beat the Anteaters soundly, 8-2. The other Quakers appeared on the opposite ends of decisive doubles defeats. Junior David Schwartzman and freshman Joey Zupan fell 8-3 while junior Jordan Szekely and partner, freshman Oliver Varban, fell 8-1, giving the doubles point to the Anteaters. "The doubles point becomes really important. While its tough for us, it really teaches you not to rely on the guys." Sobotka said "I think that was the key point of the trip. Because you don't know whose going to win or lose, you have fight really hard for the point." March 14 had the Quakers competing in Pepperdine's outdoor courts with almost identical results. The Waves overwhelmed Penn with the Quakers' number one singles player, Fisicaro, beaten by Mike Jessup, 6-1, 6-0. The Waves took six of the singles matchups with similar scores. On the flipside, junior Jordan Szekely took his match, 6-4, 6-1. At third doubles, Szekely and Sobotka schooled their opponents, 8-3. Once again, however, the failure of other pairs to generate wins awarded the point to the opposing team. These dropped matches sent the Quakers home with gorgeous tans and playing experience against some of the best tennis clubs in the country. Unfortunately, they've flown back with extra baggage as well -- a losing record. As the Quakers go into a second round of regional play this weekend against Temple and St. Joseph's, they find themselves again entering the action below the .500 mark. Previous losses, however, do not seem to faze the well prepared Quakers. "We've had enough competition behind us," Szekely said. "I think we've already played our toughest matches of the season." The Quakers may feel they have upperhand this Saturday based on last year's results. The weaker Hawks had their wings clipped, 7-0, but while the Owls also fell, the results was a nerve-wracking 4-3. "They've gotten a lot stronger over the last few years," Baertschi said. "The coach has done a really good job scheduling and recruiting." The Quakers go into Saturday's contests with a strong schedule behind them, at the expense of their record. Was it worth it? This weekend's matchups will provide the answer.