The Ivy League crown is Penn's to lose.
Just one year removed from sharing the Ivy tennis title with Brown, No. 69 Penn heads into the homestretch in complete control of its destiny: two wins over Cornell and Columbia, and the Quakers win the title outright for the first time in 36 years.
"We've been working for a year trying to win the championship outright," coach Mark Riley said. "We don't want to share. We are going to be stingy."
If the Quakers only manage one win, they will most likely have to share the glory again. With no wins, the championship may be out of the question.
But Penn has asserted itself as the team to beat in the Ivy League. The Quakers (11-11, 5-0 Ivy) finally defeated Harvard -a feat that had eluded them since 1974 - and dominated Dartmouth last weekend.
With the most troublesome matches behind them, the Quakers meet Cornell today. Despite boasting a 13-7 overall record, the Big Red have recorded just one Ivy win. The Big Red's one conference win was a big upset, a 5-2 win over ranked Brown last Friday.
"We just need to do, go in there and do a good job against Cornell," Riley said. "We beat Cornell, and we clinch a share of the title."
No. 72 Columbia, meanwhile, looks to be a bigger adversary. With a 4-1 conference record, the Lions could snatch a share of the Ivy crown from the Quakers.
Assuming both Penn and Columbia win today, their season finales against each other will have championship implications. A Quakers victory would leave nothing to discuss: Penn would be sole Ivy League champions and on its way to the NCAA Tournament.
The plot would thicken, however, if the Lions sweep their set of matches against Princeton and Penn. In that case, the Quakers would find themselves in all-too-familiar territory - a one-match playoff to determine which school represents the Ivy in the tournament.
In last season's tiebreaking playoff, Penn suffered a heartbreaking upset at the hands of Brown, 4-3.
"Sunday, no matter what happens, we play a good Columbia team," Riley said.
"If we don't do a good job, we know what the consequences are."
In the ECAC Championship finals this past fall, Penn shut out Columbia 4-0 to defend its ECAC title. The Quakers' victories came easily, with Jason Pinsky, Mikhail Bekker, and Jonathan Boym all winning their singles matches in straight sets; the doubles did not drop a match against the Lions, either.
If the Quakers are fortunate, Sunday will prove that easy, too.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.