Quakers cruise to second straight blowout

Despite steamrolling St. John's yesterday for its second straight 6-1 victory, the Penn men's tennis team is in anything but cruise control.

"We're using every opportunity to improve and get ready for the Ivy League," sophomore Jason Pinsky said. "We have to stay focused the whole time."

Pinsky, playing in his familiar No. 1 singles and doubles slots, won his singles match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, helping the Quakers (6-4) to the victory. Using a big serve to set up his heavy groundstrokes, Pinsky won the first set easily. The match then became unusually contentious, with St. John's Louis Desmarteaux questioning numerous line calls and at one point cursing at Pinsky.

The arguments reached a point where Tom Green, a junior at St. John's who was in the middle of his match against freshman Jonathan Boym on the next court, called Pinsky a cheater.

"There were some close calls, but he was complaining about everything," Pinsky said. "It didn't affect me, you've just got to deal with it." He also partnered with sophomore Joseph Lok to take his doubles set, 8-2.

Likewise, junior Mikhail Bekker's No. 2 singles match against David Nylen ended in a 6-2, 6-1 victory for Bekker, but the final score didn't indicate the nature of the match.

"Bekker always struggles with Nylen," head coach Mark Riley said. "It usually goes to three [sets] but today he won 6-2, 6-1."

The previous struggles were evident at the start of the match, when Bekker hit several routine forehands long and pushed an easy overhead wide.

"I played him twice freshman year and I knew I wanted to be aggressive at the start, but I was missing too much. I was overanxious," Bekker said. "After I started to put the ball [in play], it was more controlled aggression and he started to miss."

Riley sees this adjustment, and the improved results that came with it, as an example of the team's renewed dedication to doing the little things right.

"We need to continue to make good habits a routine," Riley said. "Doing little things the right way leads to success, and that's what I'm trying to teach these guys."

These good habits include getting up early in the morning to run and staying after a match for extra hitting sessions, which several players did after dispatching the Red Storm.

Although the Quakers have won their last three matches by a combined score of 16-4, the team realizes that its toughest work lies ahead.

"We need to keep things focused for the Ivy League," Riley said. "League play is more important here than anywhere else I've been."

In his five seasons, Riley has never had an Ivy League record better than 2-5, which was the mark the Quakers finished with last year.

Bekker believes that can change this year.

"There are certain teams that are good and that we have a lot of respect for," he said.

"But those teams are going to have to bust their asses if they want to beat us because we're going to fight for every point in every match."

The Quakers wrap up their three-match homestand on Wednesday against Saint Joseph's.

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