The Penn women's tennis team started the season in style yesterday, producing a 7-0 shutout against cross-city rival Temple at Levy Pavilion in their season opener.
"We've practiced for over three weeks," head coach Mike Dowd said. "We finally got our feet wet."
The Quakers (1-0) were able to take advantage of an Owls (4-1) squad with four injured players.
Penn won one doubles match and two singles matches by default in which Temple players were unable to compete.
Nevertheless, the Red and Blue used the opportunity to get back into the season's mindset and conditioning.
"We were trying to get back into a rhythm," said Sophomore Yulia Rivelis, the Quakers' No. 1 player.
Winning her singles match 6-2, 6-3 and her first doubles match 8-3, Rivelis will be looking to duplicate her All-Ivy First Team season from last year.
Her doubles partner, freshman Alexis Plukas, picked up the first team win of her collegiate career.
The duo seemed to be establishing a chemistry that may carry them throughout the season.
"Rivelis and Plukas played well together today," said Dowd. "They really finished strong."
Dowd also gave credit to his second doubles team of senior co-captain Caroline Stanislawski and senior Raluca Ciochina. The classmates were able to turn out an 8-2 victory.
Both seniors played singles matches as well and contributed to the Owls' inability to win even a single set in the match.
"It was definitely a very solid performance," Stanislawski said. "We really wanted to get off to a good start."
Sophomore Michelle Mitchell rounded off the shutout in fourth singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Temple's Barbara Oria Boer.
Although the team looked dominant, they know the season is still young and tough opponents await.
"We have two home matches against some very good competition," Stanislawski said, referring to Friday's match against Penn State and Sunday's against Virginia. "We're focusing in practice to play like it's a game."
Last year, the team got a confidence boost when it produced the same shutout against the Owls in the same venue. But the momentum did not translate into a win the following match, as the Quakers fell to Princeton.
In a similar position now, they are looking to avoid that same fate against the Nittany Lions.
"Penn State is always a tough lineup," Rivelis said, echoing the sentiments of her teammates. "We're going to have to work to own the court."
The Quakers will do exactly that if they can repeat yesterday's performance.
