New practice attitude inspires W. Tennis

The Quakers hope that a more relaxed atmosphere at practice will lead to victories over Ivy League foes. Listening to music blaring from a loudspeaker while working on serves and volleys, the Penn women's tennis team appeared more relaxed than usual yesterday as it prepared for this weekend's important matches at Harvard and Dartmouth. Such practices have become part of the new regimen for the 10-6 Quakers, who hope a more laid-back attitude will help them conquer two of the nation's better teams. "Three months of tennis practice is mentally and physically exhausting," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "Practices this week have been more fun than in the past. The team has to remember that tennis is supposed to be enjoyable." In contrast, last season Penn had its most fearsome game face on when it hosted the Crimson and the Big Green, and the results were mixed. The Quakers fell to Harvard by a score of 5-4 in one of Penn's best played matches of the year, but then picked up a 6-3 win against Dartmouth the following day. "Last year the team got really pumped up for the Harvard match, because they are always the team to beat," Dowd said. "But against Dartmouth we lost our concentration and only won three of six singles matches. The most important thing we have to do against them is to stay focused on every match." The success of both Harvard and Dartmouth this year certainly gives Penn plenty to focus on. The Crimson, who finished second in the Ivies last year, are ranked No. 25 in the nation, and came close to dethroning top-ranked Stanford earlier this season. Meanwhile, Dartmouth has earned an impressive No. 70 ranking. One Quaker who looks forward to embracing the challenge of such strong opponents is sophomore Anastasi Pozdniakova. The team's first singles mainstay has faced her individual opponents before and has improved her play in the hope of achieving continued success against them. "I won two matches against Harvard last year, but I lost when we played them this fall," Pozdniakova said. "So, in the winter I really worked on getting physically stronger and playing better at the net." But even the confident Pozdniakova could not help but share in Dowd's view that the major challenge for the team this weekend will be mental. "Last year, I was too emotionally tired to play against Dartmouth the day after the Harvard match," Pozdniakova said. "Sometimes we just can't concentrate on the court and it can't be explained." Philosophy has not, however, been the only action taking place during recent Penn practices. The entire team is hitting the ball well, especially freshman Shuba Srinivasan and junior Julia Feldman. Srinivasan is one of many Quakers to be battling back from ailments, as injuries have hampered the team all season. "I'm still recovering from an ankle injury, but I'm playing really well right now," Srinivasan said. "We're all looking forward to kicking some ass this weekend." Penn's mission will involve its longest Ivy League road trip of the season. Along with the torturously long bus rides, the inadequate playing facilities at the schools will provide an additional challenge for the Quakers. "Because we're going so far north, we'll probably have to play indoors," Dowd said. "Each school only has three indoor courts, so that means that there will be a lot of watching and waiting among the players. The matches will probably last anywhere from six to eight hours." Such arduous matches may try Penn's psyche, but if the Red and Blue are successful from the start, the long day may actually work to their advantage. "We are a really close team," Pozdniakova said. "Often, seeing our teammates do well inspires the rest of the squad." Similarly, Dowd feels that the bond between the team members may indeed be the prevailing factor in the matches against Harvard and Dartmouth. "Our focus is just to go out and have fun," Dowd said. "That is why we've worked so hard to get ready for these matches."