Undefeated W. Tennis opens Ivies with win

The Penn women's tennis team got its Ivy season off to an impressive start Wednesday, handing Columbia a 9-0 defeat at the Lott Courts. The lopsided thrashing of the Lions marked the third sweep in a row for the Quakers, and improved their record to a perfect 12-0 in dual match play. Penn had expected to beat Columbia, having topped the Lions by scores of 7-2, 9-0 and 6-1 the last three seasons. However, the Quakers were extremely pleased to have scored such a convincing victory in their first Ivy match of the year. "You always want the 9-0 win, but you never really expect it," senior tri-captain Karen Ridley said. "It's really hard not to give up one match." Penn also showed its strength in doubles play in a surprising comeback at No. 1. Senior tri-captain Julia Feldman and freshman Louani Bascara found themselves trailing 7-3 against Joyce Chang and Ilene Weintraub, but fought back and grabbed six unanswered games to win 9-7, finishing the final match of the day and completing the clean sweep. "I think coming from behind to win will give the team some good confidence," Penn junior Anastasia Pozdniakova said. "They were the last ones on the court and it was just great to see everyone come to cheer them on." "I think we came out okay, but the other team played really well, the games were long, and we missed a lot of balls early on," Feldman said. "But we finally started playing solid, and that kind of scared them off. The rest of the team started cheering for us, and we played the way we should have been playing the whole match." Playing Columbia first in the Ivies also gives Penn an opportunity to prepare for tougher matches ahead against powerhouses such as Princeton and Harvard. "It definitely felt good to start the Ivy season with this kind of a win," said Pozdniakova, who beat Chang at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0. "There are going to be tougher matches with other teams, and this is a great way to get started." Next up for the Quakers is arguably their first real test of the season -- the long-anticipated match at home against Princeton tomorrow. Penn fell to the Tigers last season in a close 5-4 match, and eventually finished behind them in the race for the Ivy championship. This time around the Quakers are eager to demonstrate their improvement and avenge last year's heartbreaking loss at Old Nassau. "We lost a really close one last year which came down to No. 1 doubles," said Ridley. "I think it would definitely be huge for our team, to get a win against Princeton early in the Ivy season and take that into the rest of our league matches." Overall, the Penn athletes feel confident, having played many of their opponents several times before and being familiar for the most part with their counterparts' styles. "I played [Jyotsna Vasisht] in the fall and beat her pretty convincingly," said Ridley. "But I will not take her at all lightly. She has really big shots, and I only hope I am able to take her off her game. I know I can beat her, and I just have to put that into motion." Pozdniakova will face Princeton junior Blair Farr this weekend at No. 1 singles. Pozdniakova has suffered only one loss to Farr in a half dozen intercollegiate matches -- last year in the dual match against the Tigers. "We know each others' game very well from playing so often," Pozdniakova said. "She will give me some trouble, but I am looking forward to the tough competition." The Quakers are also busy hoping for clear skies tomorrow, which would give them the opportunity to play on the outdoor courts, where Penn has the upper hand. "Most of their players are flat, heavy hitters, and with the wind and the slower outdoor courts, playing outside would definitely be to our advantage," Ridley said. "If we are outdoors, the more fans we will have [at the match]," Feldman said. "And that, too, will definitely make a difference for us."