Quakers conclude year with Ivy split

With a 4-3 win on Sunday against Columbia, the Penn men's tennis team made coach Mike Riley a winner.

For the first time in Riley's three years with the team, Penn(12-11 overall , 2-5 Ivy) ended their season with a record above .500.

In an otherwise lackluster campaign, the Quakers' winning record is something for them to look proudly upon.

"There were a ton of bright spots," Penn co-captain Ryan Harwood said. "There's a lot of talent for next year."

But besides looking to the future, Penn is also quick to dismiss its apparent shortcomings in the present.

"We didn't get blown out at all," Harwood said. "If a few points went our way, we could very well be at the top of the league."

The Red and Blue began their weekend on a down note, traveling up to Cornell only to be smoked by the Big Red (17-5, 4-2), 5-2.

This marks Cornell's first winning Ivy season since 1966.

The afternoon did not start off well, with Penn dropping all three doubles matches

-- something that has happened only one other time this year.

In singles, only Harwood at No. 3 and Fanda Stejskal at No. 1 could muster victories.

"We were on the road, and a little tired from the long season," Harwood said. "The weather was bad, and it wasn't a great overall day for tennis."

The Quakers returned home to face off against the Lions, one of only two Ivy teams with a worse record than the Red and Blue.

Freshman David Lynn teamed up with senior co-captain Brian Barki -- in the final doubles' match of his career --for an 8-1 blowout.

Freshmen tandem Anthony Pu and Craig Rubin, playing phenomenally well since Rubin returned from injury, picked up the doubles' point with an 8-3 triumph.

"They're going to be really good in the future," Stejskal said of the duo. "They're fighters, and a great asset to the team."

Penn's momentum carried over into singles, as Harwood and freshman Todd Lecher won in straight sets at No. 3 and 6, respectively.

And in his final match, Barki came back after dropping the first set, 6-2, to beat Ethan Farbman 6-3, 6-4 in the final two sets.

"It was a great way to end my career," Barki said. "I played a guy who I had never beaten before, and even though I got down early, I came back."

One Penn player who was unable to come back from a deficit on Sunday was Stejskal. Playing in his final match, he lost the first set, 6-4, and then was crushed in the second, 6-0.

Still there is silver lining for the Czech Republic native, as Stejskal finished his third and final season at Penn with a career-high 19 wins.

That record virtually assures the senior that he be selected, for a third time, as first team, all-Ivy, and that may not be all.

Stejskal is also a frontrunner for the Ivy League Player of the Year award, since last year's winner, junior Steve Berke of Yale -- after reeling off a 32-8 record in non-conference matches - has not competed in Ivy play this year.

Despite what appears to be a down season, all the players, and fans, are aware of the potential for improvement next year.

"We were in so many matches," Barki said. "It's something for the younger guys to build on for the years to come."

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