Ekaterina Kosminskaya and the Penn women's tennis team are undefeated.
Get used to hearing it.
The freshman standout led the Quakers with two victories in their first match of the promising season, a win at Penn State on Saturday.
Kosminskaya was not handed an easy first match. She drew experienced Penn State senior Sasha Abraham in the No. 1 singles spot. Kosminskaya disposed of Abraham quickly with a 6-3, 6-1 win for her first collegiate victory, which she admitted was not just any old match.
"I was nervous at the beginning but I became more comfortable as the match progressed," said Kosminskaya. "Having my teammates cheering me on certainly helped."
The whole team certainly noticed Kosminskaya's play, which also included a victory in doubles with fellow freshman Maria Anisimova.
"It was [Kosminskaya's] first collegiate match and she played really well," assistant coach Sara Schiffman said.
Junior captain Yulia Rivelis added that she "took it to her and was unfazed."
Kosinskaya was not the only one to play well - Rivelis won her match as did captain Julia Koulbitskaya, who won No. 4 singles in straight sets.
Meanwhile, junior Michelle Mitchell won at No. 6 singles in the only three-set match of the day. Mitchell lost the first set, 6-2, but regrouped to win the last two sets 6-4 and 7-6 (4).
"She was big for us today," Schiffman said. "After losing the first set she came back strong and won the match to close it out for the team."
In one of the team's sparse low notes, star freshman Anisimova saw a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the Lions' Jenny Shular, 6-2, 6-1.
But ultimately, Penn coasted to an easy victory that was anything but unexpected. The women are looking toward a record-setting season after returning most of last year's second-place team.
"The team played well as a whole," Rivelis said. "It's nice to get a win in the first match of the season. It wasn't easy."
The team is not solely relying on talent - it also implemented a rigorous off-season training program. Against Penn State, the team could already see the benefits.
"Our efforts during the off-season showed," Revelis said. "The conditioning and on-court work was definitely worth it."
"It was just the first match of the season and there were a lot of things to build on," Schiffman said.
