The men's tennis team dug itself into another early hole this weekend by losing two of three doubles matches, including one in a tiebreaker.
Once again, it was the play of the Red and Blue singles players that carried the Quakers to victory. With their 5-2 win over Maryland this weekend, the Quakers have jumped out to a stellar 6-0 start this season.
After the underwhelming performance of the doubles teams, Penn took a 3-2 lead by winning three of its first four singles matches.
Justin Lavner (7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-1), Tas Tobias (7-6 (7-4), 6-1) and Mikhail Bekker (7-6 (7-4), 6-1) all proved victorious. Only David Lynn in the No. 1 spot lost his match (6-2, 6-2).
Having waited on the sidelines the entire match, it was up to Todd Lecher and Craig Rubin in the five and six spots, respectively, to find one win between them for a Penn victory.
Lecher triumphed first by a score of 6-3, 7-6, with Rubin following behind shortly after with another Penn victory (6-4, 7-5).
"It was good to see Lecher come through under the gun," Penn coach Mark Riley said.
Rubin, the team captain, echoed that sentiment.
"Todd and me were on the court in the end in a hostile crowd, fun environment to play in," Rubin said. "Todd Lecher came through in a high pressure moment."
Lecher downplayed the significance of his win.
"I did not feel too much pressure," Lecher said. "Work hard, and everything would fall into place."
However, Lecher and Rubin may have had the advantage to begin with.
"Early on in singles they had the momentum and we took the momentum from them," Lavner said. "It was really intense; we fought hard and got the win."
Their win over the Terrapins is the first road victory for the team, and Lavner was quick to express his pride in the team's gutsy effort.
"It takes a lot of heart to go away in a hostile environment against a good team and win," he said.
The team's ability to fight back from early losses has impressed many of the players as well as the coach.
Riley has continually termed these early season wins as evidence of "good team play." Members of the Red and Blue were on the same page as their coach.
Lecher professed a faith in his teammates and proclaimed that he was "proud of this team and the way they came through."
Lavner may have come up with the best explanation for the team's success.
"We try to keep our perspective on an even keel and fight hard and play hard," he said.
If the doubles teams continue to struggle, the singles players will have to remember Lavner's words in order to keep winning.
