M. Tennis wins two of three in Hawaii

When they weren't lying on sunny beaches, riding around on mopeds or getting mohawks -- as freshman Kevin Strouse did -- the Penn men's tennis team was busy winning two of its three matches in Hawaii over spring break. The Quakers (6-1) beat the University of Hawaii at Hilo in a close 5-4 match last Saturday. With the match tied at 4-4, junior Brett Meringoff pulled off a victory at No. 4 singles to secure the win. After losing the first set 7-6, he came back to win the second set 7-5 and tie the match. He won the third 7-6, pulling out a 12-10 victory in the tiebreaker. "That's a lot of pressure," Penn coach Gordie Ernst said. "The courts were right on the beach and it was a very windy day but Brett kept his composure. He was able to focus and keep his concentration." A string of singles wins contributed to Penn's victory. At No. 2, sophomore Eric Sobotka picked up a 6-3, 6-3 win while at No.5, senior captain Jordan Szekely defeated Kris Jordon, 6-2, 6-4. At No. 6, freshman Brian Barki picked up Penn's third win with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Sobotka also won at No. 3 doubles, where he teamed with freshman Tyler Anderson for an 8-6 win. Penn's match against the University of Hawaii last Wednesday was also close. The 5-4 match was again clinched by Meringoff. "It was a close match. We could have won by a larger margin but they were fired up," Sobotka said. At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Joe Zupan and senior Uday Garg pulled off a 9-7 victory. Sobotka and Barki, trailing 7-4, came back to win 9-8 at No. 3 doubles. Sobotka also claimed a win against the Rainbows at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-1. Meringoff challenged Justin Iwascat at No. 5, claiming a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory. Barki defeated Dominic Madise, 6-4, 7-5, as Penn emerged victorious. Hawaii-BYU dealt the Quakers' their only loss on the trip. Penn fell 5-4 one week ago to the Div. II Seasiders. "They were a very, very strong team," Ernst said. "They were the NAIA champs a few years ago. They had players that could play on any team in the country." Barki and Sobotka's 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles was Penn's only doubles victory. Meringoff and Barki both won their singles matches against the Seasiders. Meringoff beat Harry Needle 8-2, while Barki got past Paul Marinico 7-6. "They played great matches," Garg said. "We weren't used to playing outdoors, so we had to battle conditions like wind and heat that they were used to." Barki was the lone Quaker to go undefeated in Hawaii, winning three singles and two doubles matches. "He's an island of confidence," Ernst said of Barki. Penn's next match is against struggling Georgetown (3-11) at home tomorrow. The Hoyas' recent woes included a 7-0 loss to Charleston Southern on March 8 and a 5-2 loss to Austin Peay on March 10. "We've never played them before," Sobotka said. "But I think we'll win." "I expect us to do very well," Ernst said. "We're sharp now. We're getting tougher and tougher, which is a coach's dream." Prior to the Hawaii trip, the Quakers opened the season 4-0 with wins over Villanova, Swarthmore, American and West Virginia. Penn's non-conference schedule helps the Quakers prepare for their Ivy League season, which begins April 3 at Princeton. "This is the position we wanted to be in," Ernst said. "We wanted to have a winning record going into the Ivies." The Quakers' winning record is a pleasant surprise after an unsuccessful fall season. Ernst believes the Hawaii matches built team confidence that will last through the rest of the season. "I was pretty happy with our results," Ernst said. "The guys are gaining confidence. We were losing in the fall but now we know that we can play anyone in the Ivies. Now we're ready for anything."