Penn women's tennis is back, and it's reloaded.
With a talented group of freshman accompanying the returning veterans, the team is positioned to improve on last year's finish - the Quakers lost out on the Ivy League title but still managed to make the NCAA Tournament and upset No. 30 Tennessee there.
The team loses three seniors from last year's squad - including Caroline Stanislawski, who went a perfect 7-0 in league play last year - so coach Michael Dowd expects freshmen to have the chance to contribute as well.
"A mix of freshmen will certainly break into the lineup," Dowd said.
He is not the only one excited about the youth that have invaded Levy Pavilion.
"The freshman have really impressed me," said captain Yulia Rivelis. "They're solid and two should play right away."
One freshman that should have an immediate effect is freshman Kate Kosminskaya, who comes to Penn from Moscow.
"She will be a big impact player as a freshman," Dowd said. "It took a little while to work out some eligibility issues, but now that she's here we're really excited."
Maria Anismova, who also lived in Russia until she was ten, is another freshman who is expected to make big contributions.
When young players challenge for a starting job, tension can run high. But this team takes pride in reversing that dynamic. "All we are focused on is the Ivy League championships and the NCAA tournament," said captain Julia Koulbitskaya.
Rivelis, who was All-Ivy last year, usually plays No. 1 singles but is willing to play wherever the coach puts her: "Every point is worth the same no matter where you are playing," Rivelis said. "It's just about helping the team win the match."
"We've been working to build up our endurance," said Koulbitskaya. Along with Rivilis and senior captain Ashley Lostritto Koulbitskaya has been leading practices both on and off the court.
All the talk of winning the Ivies stems from last year's finish. After a 6-1 Ivy League record, the Quakers received a bid to the NCAA Tournament and defeated the Volunteers before a second-round loss to Georgia Tech. This year's team has a preseason ranking of 41.
"This is the strongest team I've played on in my three years at Penn," said Koulbitskaya. "I think everyone has a lot of expectations."
Among those expectations are a competitive match with last year's champions, Harvard, which has graduated three key seniors from last year's team.
And the team's greatest strength may be their ability to weather the long season.
"We have depth throughout the lineup," said Dowd. "Undoubtedly, there will be injuries and we will have the people to step in."
Richmond comes to Levy Pavilion on Saturday. Let the weathering begin.
