M. Tennis in search of second Ivy victory

The Penn men's tennis team visits Columbia and hosts the Big Red. After playing together for an entire year, the Penn men's tennis team's season now comes down to one last weekend -- and two final matches. On Friday, the Quakers (11-5, 1-4 Ivy League) head to the scenic Upper West Side of Manhattan to take on Columbia at the Columbia Tennis Center. On Sunday, the Red and Blue return home to the safer streets of West Philadelphia to meet Cornell (9-9, 0-5) at the Lott Tennis Courts. The Quakers are intent on winning both matches to avoid ending their season with only one Ivy win. "This weekend is huge. We're playing for pride and we're playing teams that we believe are beatable," Penn coach Gordie Ernst said. "We don't want to have to say that we only had one win in the Ivies. These wins would really set the tone for next year." Winning both matches, however, will prove difficult. Columbia (11-4, 3-2) is a tough team to beat, featuring some of the top tennis players in the Ivies. Further complicating matters for the Quakers is the decided home-court advantage the Lions will have -- they play their home matches on clay courts, a medium to which the Red and Blue are not accustomed. "The indoor clay at Columbia is notorious for testing the visiting team," senior captain Jordan Szekely said. "We'll have to be more patient and we have to realize that we'll miss some balls. Everyone has to be mentally prepared for whatever happens." No matter how much trouble the Quakers may have adjusting to clay, the Red and Blue are hoping to take away much of Columbia's home-court advantage by bringing in a crowd -- made up of friends and New York alumni -- to cheer them on to victory. While Friday's crowd should be substantial, the Quakers are hoping to attract even more people to their home venue on Sunday. Sunday's crowd should witness a great match, as the Quakers battle a beatable Cornell team in Penn's last competition of the season. The Quakers are looking for their first Ivy home win, while Cornell, led by sophomore Mike Halperin, is still looking for its first Ivy win of the season after close 4-3 losses to both Dartmouth and Yale earlier this spring. "Cornell is going to be very fired up to beat us. We have a better record than they do, and we've been ranked," Ernst said. "Right now I'm challenging my guys to show up this weekend ready to play for their last match and give it their all." One player sure to give 100 percent this weekend is Szekely. The senior captain will be playing on Sunday wearing the Red and Blue for the last time, before graduating and heading to a job in Manhattan working for Lehman Bros. The Rockville, Md., native refuses to see this weekend's two matches as anything more than a celebration of his three years as a Quaker. "I had my opportunity to play and I took full advantage of it but it's time to do other things," Szekely said. "Now, I get to be an adult, throw a suit on and have a kick-ass time in New York. I'm not the type to be like, 'Woe is me.' I live too much in the now to worry about the future." And yet it is the near future on which the Quakers must concentrate all of their energy. The Red and Blue must take control of their destiny, put together a strong, two-win effort and end their season on a high note.