On Sunday the No. 54 Penn women's tennis team upset the No. 32 Cavaliers, 5-2, at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Virginia. "If we go into a match, we go in to win," Penn freshman Raluca Ciochina said of the upset win. Five of six matches against the Cavaliers went three sets. The entire match against Virginia lasted an exhausting six hours. "It was a very long, tiring weekend," junior co-captain Alice Pirsu said. Since many of the matches went into three sets, each player had to give her all, despite exhaustion. The Quakers' conditioning was key to that effort. "That helps us to survive out there," Ciochina said. However, Penn (2-2) enjoyed their time on the road, and not just because of their upset victory. "We get to bond and be there for each other" Pirsu said. "The team is transformed. We learned how to work well together." The Quakers jumped out to an early lead over the favored Cavaliers by capturing the opening doubles point. Penn's Pirsu and Shelah Chao defeated Jennifer Tuchband and Henriette Williams, 9-8. Ciochina and Ptak defeated James and Stern, 9-7, and Ciulei and Kunovac defeated Dora Bechliwanis and Marta Bechliwanis, 8-4. Pirsu, the No. 14 ranked player in the nation, had to come from the unusual position of trailing to win her match. "I knew it was important to win the match for the team. The girl was pretty good and took the match to three sets. I knew I could beat her and come back," Pirsu said of her own three set match against Henriette Williams, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Other Penn wins include Ptak's win over Tuchband, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2, Sanela Kunovac defeated Dora Bechliwanis, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, and Chao defeated Marta Bechliwanis, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Penn earned its individual wins by narrow margins, as Virginia's Lori Stern beat Ciochina, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, and Virginia's Kristen James topped senior Raluca Ciulei, 6-2, 6-4. The Quakers will return home for the first time this season on Saturday when they take on No. 22 Virginia Commonwealth and No. 14 SUNY-Binghamton. The match kicks off a five game homestand for Penn, which had been on a four-match roadtrip to start the season. "It's very good for us to be at home," Pirsu said. "We love playing at home and having people and friends come out and watch us. We feel comfortable at home and we have more time to rest and prepare."
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