W. Tennis gets a boost from freshmen

Often overshadowed by the strong veteran leadership that is a trademark of this team, the younger players on the Penn women's tennis team proved that they will be a force to be reckoned in the future. In only the third tournament of the fall, the younger Quakers turned the tennis courts at the Penn State Invitational into their own private stomping ground. This was the last time that all the freshmen will participate in a collegiate tournament this season, and they clearly exploited the opportunity for everything that it was worth. In one of the most impressive performances of the tournament, freshman Carla Dorsey bulldozed her way to the title of the D flight in her first tournament as a member of the team. Difficulties with the transfer of her high school transcript stalled the debut of this stellar young talent for a few weeks, but this recruit proved that she was well worth waiting for. "I got progressively better throughout the weekend," Dorsey said. "The competition is a whole lot better than in junior tennis. You know you are going to get a good match every time you step out on the court." Dorsey was not the only one to put on an impressive show in Happy Valley this weekend. Freshman Jolene Sloat also showed that she has the talent and drive to be successful at the collegiate level. Although falling just short of the B flight title -- she lost in the finals 6-2, 7-6 to a player from Virginia Commonwealth -- Sloat was impressed with her early season performance. "I think I did really well. I was excited about the way I played," Sloat said. One thing both these young talents enjoyed was the supportive team atmosphere that was a refreshing change from the cutthroat nature of junior tennis. "Junior tennis is so individual, and this is all about the team. You are not playing for yourself, you are playing for the team," Sloat said. "It is so much more fun. You have people cheering you and you are cheering other people." Penn coach Michael Dowd was impressed and excited about everyone's performance this weekend.With No.1 singles player Anastasia Pozdniakova reaching the semifinals of the A flight and sophomore Regina Borromeo narrowly defeating fellow Quaker Jaya Kirtane 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the C flight, it was an impressive performance across the board. "We lost only one first-round match in singles and doubles," Dowd reported. "We did as good as I thought we could have this weekend. If one team could have won this tournament, it definitely would have been us." The only problem that lies ahead for Dowd and the veteran Quakers is trying to find playing time for the six highly talented freshmen, a dilemma any coach would envy. Dowd has brought in a plethora of young players filled with enthusiasm and talent that should keep Quakers tennis fans entertained for years to come.