M. Tennis dominates St. Bonaventure with 7-0 win

Freshman Jonathan Boym breezed through his singles match 6-0, 6-1 and teamed up with junior John Stetson to win his doubles set 8-0, but still walked away disappointed.

"I was going for a perfect day," Boym said.

It was that kind of match for the Penn men's tennis team yesterday as it completely dominated Saint Bonaventure at the Levy Tennis Pavilion in a 7-0 win.

"Last week in Florida was a good team experience, but we were humbled," Boym said, referring to the Quakers' 1-2 showing at Florida State. "We wanted to come out and make a statement."

And make a statement they did. The Quakers recorded multiple 6-0 sets and consistently kept their opponents frustrated, even though the team wasn't at full strength.

With junior captain Mikhail Bekker sitting out due to an injury, the Quakers went deep into their roster and still produced a lopsided victory that will give the team momentum going into next week's match against Florida.

"It was great that we got a chance to play a match instead of just practicing among ourselves," head coach Mark Riley said. "These guys want to play -- they don't want to sit around all weekend."

To Riley, the importance of match play extends beyond simply keeping his players from getting restless.

"This team doesn't have a personality yet," he said, referring to the fact that the Quakers lost six players last year to graduation. "We can only find out what we're made of by playing matches."

The team certainly was in danger of sitting around all weekend when its match against Manhattan, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, was postponed due to the snowstorm. The Bonnies were able to arrive in Philadelphia before the storm hit.

Junior Aubry Wand, who won his singles match 6-2, 6-0 despite not being a regular starter, exemplified the type of mettle that Riley hopes his team will show in match situations.

"Wand hasn't played many matches, but his development shows the progress of the program as a whole," Riley said. "For him to be able to step in and play well shows where this team is going."

The Quakers' next opponent, No. 1 Florida, looks to provide a much tougher test than St. Bonaventure. The Red and Blue will meet the Gators in the first round of the ITA National Indoors in Seattle, which they qualified for by winning the ECAC Championships in the fall.

"We played them twice last year, and they're a tough team," said sophomore Jason Pinsky, who won his No. 1 singles match 6-0, 6-1. "But there's no pressure on us. We'll just go in there and play our game. We've got nothing to lose."

Boym agreed, adding that going into the match as the underdogs will serve as motivation.

"We still want to make a statement, but it's a different statement this time," Boym said. "We're the underdogs, and we want to show the nation we're legit."

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