W. Tennis enters crucial Ivy stretch

Expectations were running high at the start of this season for the Penn women's tennis team.

Sophomore Alice Pirsu, who made a surprising run to the field of 32 in the Omni Hotels National Indoor Championships, was added to a team that swept the Ivy League and upset No. 19 Pepperdine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

As the Quakers prepare for this weekend's matches against Yale and Brown, the pressure to meet these expectations has been turned up a notch.

The Elis, ranked No. 73 in the country, and the No. 58 Bears are the only ranked teams in the Ivies besides the No. 45 Quakers. To make the matchups that much more challenging, the Quakers will face both opponents on the road.

"We know that this is going to be the hardest stretch in the Ivy season," Penn sophomore Nicole Ptak said.

In addition, both matches will be played on consecutive days.

However, the Quakers do not think that these factors put them at a disadvantage. Pirsu believes that at this point in the season, back-to-back matches are no longer an obstacle.

"We have played a lot until now," Pirsu said, "We are in a rhythm."

In contrast, Yale has not played a match in over two weeks. As a result, they could be battling some rust.

As the top Ivy seed in the country, the Red and Blue feel like they have a bullseye on their backs.

"There is always more pressure on the higher-ranked team," Pirsu said.

Penn sophomore captain Sanela Kunovac thinks that even though the Quakers are favored, they should have the approach of an underdog.

"Being the defending Ivy League champs makes everyone want to get us," Kunovac said, "As a player I can't become defensive; I want to still feel like I am attacking them."

Although they may not be as talented on paper as the Quakers, Yale and Brown are still formidable opponents.

Brown sports an impressive 10-2 record. However, Penn will be the first-ranked opponent the Bears will play this season.

The Quakers are anticipating the Bears to play with a lot of confidence because of their stellar season record thus far.

"Their great win-loss record will give them artificial confidence," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "You can't become better unless you play teams that are better than you."

The Quakers, therefore, see the Bulldogs as the more challenging opponent. The Elis were second in the league last year and returned everyone from last season.

Nevertheless, the Quakers do not feel threatened.

"We are better than Yale and Brown at every position," Dowd said. "If we play 85 percent of what we are capable of, we will win every match."

The Quakers sound like they could adjust to the role of being favorites over Yale and Brown.

"They should be scared," Dowd said. "They have the Ivy champs coming to their house."

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