W. Tennis takes grad losses in stride

Penn opens its season next week when it hosts the Cissie Leary Invite. Last spring, the Penn women's tennis team finished with a No. 46 national ranking and an overall record of 19-2 (6-1 Ivy League). Despite losing three starters to graduation, the Quakers believe they can be every bit as successful this year. Penn opens its fall season on September 24, when the Quakers host the Cissie Leary Invitational. With the loss of starters Karen Ridley, Brooke Herman and Julia Feldman, Penn will need to make a few lineup adjustments. "We lost some really good leaders," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "Some of our sophomores will have to step up and take responsibility. I want everyone to be leaders and step up and push each other." Both Dowd and senior co-captain Elana Gold emphasized that last year's team benefitted from its tight-knit relationships. "[We did well] last season because of the leadership and the cohesiveness of our team," Gold said. "We all really wanted it and I think that was the key to our success last year, and that will have to be the key this year." Dowd also attributed last year's success to the Quakers' personal drive to do well. "We have a young team but a hungry and enthusiastic team," he said. "I expect this season to go very well." This year, the Quakers welcome the addition of junior Jill Mazza, a University of Rochester transfer, and freshman Niki DeCou. Mazza held a personal record of 54-10 at Rochester and was a Division III All-American, while DeCou is currently ranked No. 7 in the Middle States Region. "They bring a lot of talent and experience," Gold said. "They should definitely help us out and have an immediate impact on how we'll do." However, Alice Pirsu -- a Romanian native who has played in the U.S. Open, the French Open and Wimbledon as an amateur and enrolled at Penn last winter -- will not be eligible to compete until at least the spring. Dowd believes the team's motivation remains equally strong this season as last season. Though the team did not begin practicing officially until yesterday, the team members practiced together voluntarily prior to the official start. "Knowing that they've been coming out on their own means they're hungry," Dowd said. Because Penn will not compete for the Ivy title until the spring, the team generally regards the fall as less important. Dowd sees the laid-back season as a chance for the team to gain more experience before the spring. The fall season consists primarily of multi-school tournaments, while dual matches make up a majority of the spring competition. Twelve schools, including Penn State, Georgetown and five other Ivy League schools, will compete in the Cissie Leary Invitational next week. The tournament is especially meaningful for the Quakers, as it is held in memory of former coach Leary, who led Penn to 16 winning seasons before a 10-year battle with cancer forced her to rest and turn over the coaching reigns in 1996. Leary passed away in November of that year. Gold and senior co-captain Anastasia Pozdniakova are members of Leary's last recruiting class at Penn. Last year, Pozdniakova won the singles draw and dedicated her triumph to Leary. Gold and Herman reached the doubles semis but eventually fell to a pair from Princeton. Gold praised Dowd for his work in building up the tournament. "Mike works really hard and produces one of the best women's college tennis tournaments of the year," Gold said. "It gets bigger and better every year." The team regards the ECACs, held at Princeton and Rutgers on October 15-17, as one of the most important matches of the fall season. Immediately following the ECACs are the All-American Championships, held in Pacific Palisades, Calif.