Tennis plays for an upset

The Penn men's tennis team eagerly seeks a win to get back on track. The Penn men's tennis team picked a bad stretch of the season to lose to two inferior teams -- Army and Cornell. Losing 4-3 to the Cadets and 5-2 to the Big Red last weekend, the Quakers did not perform up to expectations. "It was just a bad weekend," senior captain Marc Fisicaro said. "We should have won both matches." In both instances, the Red and Blue lacked a starter. Junior Urs Baertschi sat out against Army due to NCAA regulations regarding the number of matches a player can compete in, while Junior Jordan Szekely missed the Cornell match because of an internship interview. Despite this, Penn coach Gene Miller and his players agreed that considering Penn's depth, Baertschi and Szekely's absences were not major factors in either of the two losses. The Quakers will, however, get a chance to vindicate themselves this weekend as they face last season's co-Ivy League champions -- nationally ranked Harvard today at 2 p.m. and Dartmouth tomorrow at noon. Both matches will be held at home on the Lott Tennis Courts. "It will be our toughest weekend of the season," Penn sophomore Dominic Rioux said. But with a 7-10 record and five matches remaining, the Red and Blue's chance of finishing the season with a winning record are glum. Miller gave the the Quakers two days -- Monday and Tuesday -- of practice off after last week's losses. And after battling nationally ranked teams for the past two months, the team appreciated the break. The hiatus gave the Quakers a chance to rest and shake off memories of the disastrous weekend. "We were a little tired, a little beat up -- we've had a tough season, we're all a little worn out," Fisicaro said. But after two relaxed, yet focused practices, the Quakers are expecting to prevail against the Crimson and Big Green. "At this point, we have nothing to lose," Fisicaro said, "so we'll just go out there and try to knock off one of the teams." Miller feels that his team has a legitimate shot against both teams, even after the disappointing weekend. "Our team is one of the most disciplined," Miller said. "If these guys do what I think they're capable of, I think they'll fire right back." Rioux shared a similar sentiment. "We'll bounce right back like a prizefighter," he said. Despite Harvard's No. 14 national ranking, they have showed signs of vulnerability in the past. In a competition held earlier this year, the Crimson nearly lost to unranked Old-Dominion. "If you get them [Harvard] in a match that's close, they can crack if you keep the pressure on them," Miller said. Unlike Harvard, Dartmouth is not nationally ranked. Though next to the Crimson, it is considered the second strongest team in the Ivy League. "We have to do what Cornell did to us. They beat us in every single category -- heart, desire, hustle -- we have to do the same thing if we want to beat Harvard or Dartmouth," Miller said. Before last weekend's defeats, the Quakers were 7-8 with quality wins over Navy, Rutgers and Temple. Having competed against national powerhouses like Miami, Notre Dame, UCal-Irvine and Pepperdine, the Quakers figured they would be 9-8 on the other side of the weekend. Unfortunately, however, the Red and Blue find themselves at 7-10. Despite the season's early losses, the tough schedule seems to be paying dividends, as the Quakers won 4-of-5 until last weekend. Morevoer, with a win this weekend, the Quakers can re-establish themselves as a contender for the Ivy title.