M. Tennis rallies for first Ivy twin killing since 1995

Penn's match with Yale was particularly intense, but the Quakers survived for the win. "Come on!" yelled the accented voice from Lott Court No. 1. The sound came from Penn sophomore Fanda Stejskal, signaling that he had won another point against Yale's Greg Royce. Stejskal's shouts were met with increasing enthusiasm from the crowd of parents and Stejskal's fellow Alpha Epsilon Pi pledge brothers as he battled back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to win the final two sets, 6-4, 6-4. The Penn men's tennis team beat Yale, 5-2. "In the beginning [Royce] played really well. He missed like two balls during the entire first set. I thought, 'I'm getting killed,' and that's when Mrs. Barki told me to hang in there," Stejskal said. "Then I started returning. During the middle of the second set I played better and I didn't let it go like yesterday." Unfortunately, Penn sophomore tennis player Brian Barki's mom wasn't there to advise Stejskal on Friday, when he lost his match against Brown's Justin Natale in a 7-5 tiebreaker. The Quakers still managed to beat the Bears, 4-3, with freshman Ryan Harwood returning from a 4-5 deficit in the third set against Brown's Nick Malone to clinch the match, 7-5. Harwood's win allowed Penn to walk away with the meet, paving the way for a rare achievement the next day. This was the first time that the Quakers have swept an Ivy weekend since 1995, when, like this year, Penn beat Yale and Brown in back-to-back competitions. There was no love lost between the Quakers and the players from Yale. The match between Stejskal and Royce included frequent accusations by Stejskal that Royce was unfairly calling his serves out. Royce, visibly annoyed, became more impatient with his requests that the match simply continue. "I think he hooked me a couple of times," Stejskal said. "The shots were never obvious but I think they were in. There's nothing you can do though." Harwood also had difficulties with his Yale opponent, Scott Carlton. At one point, Harwood yelled, "Open your eyes," to Carlton in reference to a call made by Carlton. Harwood's outburst was met with a penalty call by the referee, which cost him a point in the match. The penalty call by the referee on Harwood also resulted in an interference call in Stejskal's match, since the referee yelled the penalty verdict during Royce's serve. Royce had double faulted with the point going to Stejskal, but the interference call meant that the point had to be replayed. Despite the personal conflicts during the matches, the Quakers were all smiles after junior co-captain Eric Sobotka clinched Penn's win against Yale by defeating Kevin Park at the No. 4 position. Penn players mobbed Sobotka on the court after his win, as Stejskal was still battling Royce on court one. Penn faltered a bit in doubles this weekend, with Zupan and Barki at the No. 3 position the only doubles team to beat Brown. Senior Brett Meringoff and Harwood at the No. 1 position were the only doubles partners to defeat a Yale duo. This weekend's matches bring the Quakers to 3-1 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis League, which is already an improvement over their 2-7 EITL season from last year. The addition of Stejskal and Harwood to the team, as well as strong performances by returning Penn players, has made the rest of this season look a lot brighter than last year's.

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