Breezing through the early season schedule

There were no surprises this weekend for the men's tennis team.

In a Sunday doubleheader that went pretty much as expected, the Quakers easily knocked off Delaware and Villanova by a combined score of 13-1.

According to Penn coach Nik DeVore, the Quakers (7-1) started the day "flat," dropping the first doubles match to Delaware by an 8-6 margin.

But it was smooth sailing after that. The Quakers only dropped two more sets against the Blue Hens (1-1) as they cruised to a 6-1 victory.

Penn only heated up from there, thrashing the hapless Wildcats 7-0 without losing a set.

DeVore was satisfied with his team's performances in the two matches.

"They took both of these teams very seriously," he said.

"[I saw] a lot of positives . From top to bottom, we were pretty happy with the way the guys played."

The coach singled out two of his seniors, Eric Riley and Joe Lok, for special praise.

DeVore was especially impressed by Riley's focus and ability to control the pace of the match.

Lok was pleased with his team's effort but explained that the schedule won't always be so easy.

"I guess we're feeling pretty good going into the deeper part of the season - the more match-heavy, more match-intense level," he said.

Today's doubleheader was something of a scheduling quirk, coming only one week after a twin bill last Sunday against Temple and Bucknell.

To have two doubleheaders in as many weekends is unusual.

DeVore hopes that this scheduling can help the team build endurance and give more players in the lineup chances to play.

While the Quakers are exhausted from the grueling all-day affair, they understand that double-headers may be a necessary evil.

"At this point, we just need a lot of match play," senior Jason Pinsky said.

"It will be very beneficial [in helping us reach] our long-term goal, which is to win the Ivy League title."

Repeating as Ancient Eight champs could be especially difficult for the Quakers, who have already seen several key players slowed by injuries this season.

Aside from illness and wear, junior Jonathan Boym will have surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder while classmate Justin Fox rolled his ankle a few weeks ago and is still recovering.

Health is a major question mark for the Quakers as they head into the meat of their schedule.

But Pinsky also stressed the importance of the Quakers maintaining the momentum they have built up on their current four-match winning streak.

"[We need to] keep building our confidence and go from there," he said.

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