Central Fla. won't surprise Riley, but Terps might

There's nothing like rushing into the season. After its first match against Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, the men's tennis team will play two more this weekend, beginning with Central Flordia tonight. Last season, Penn coach Mark Riley and his team were able to pull out a 4-3 victory over host Central Florida, a matchup that will be played at Levy Pavillion this year. "We're just trying to measure where we are every time out," Riley said. The Quakers will get another measuring stick when they meet Maryland on Sunday. In the afternoon, the women's team faces Richmond at the Pavilion. The Spiders were defeated 6-1 last year when they hosted the Quakers in Virginia. Today's two matches should be telling for everyone involved. Many of the players will be able to gauge their individual impovments in the offseason when facing opponents they met last year. The two most familiar participants, however, will be the men's opposing coaches. The Golden Knights' Bobby Cashman served as Riley's assistant for two years at Kansas. It is safe to say that neither team will be caught off-guard in what will be another hard-fought match. "I know Central Florida is well coached. Bobby Cashman does a great job with his kids," Riley said. "We played a tough match against them last year, and we look forward to a tough match again this season." Penn's co-captain, Jason Pinsky, will need to continue his strong play in No. 1 singles and with his classmate Eric Riley in No. 1 doubles in order to set the tone for the Quakers. Freshman Adam Schwarz, who will have started in both matches this season, will also be crucial if the Quakers want to exit Levy with victories over the Knights and the Terrapins. "We're just trying to get more experience, especially for the freshman," Riley said. "We need to give Schwarz some good competition as we move on in the season." Freshman experience and improvement cannot be any more important for the women's team. Ekaterina Kosminskaya and Maria Anismova serve as No. 1 and 3 singles, respectively, while also competing together on the No.1 doubles team in their first season of collegiate competition. The duo may have an easier time than most freshmen would in adjusting to their centerpiece roles. Their next six matches will be held at Levy Pavilion, before the team heads to California in March. The Quakers won't have an easy time early in their competition today, when they face one of the most dominating players in this early season. Richmond's Pamela Duran is 4-0 in singles action and was recently named Atlantic-10 player of the week. Though unranked, Duran was able to notch the Spiders' only win against No. 25 Virginia last weekend, in addition to defeating Megan Moulton-Levy, ranked No. 5 nationally, of William and Mary. Kosminskaya and Duran will face off in No. 1 singles to kick off a weekend that, when finished, will give both teams an indication of where their season is heading.