Injuries and illness could not stop the men's and women's tennis teams from earning victories this weekend.
But they eventually took their toll on the men, who after winning against Georgetown on Saturday fell in a contested battle with Old Dominion, 4-3, one day later.
After the men coasted to an easy victory over Georgetown in doubles, the singles matches began with the Quakers equally dominant. No. 1 Jason Pinsky and No. 2 Jonathan Boym both won in straight sets, losing just seven games between them.
But injuries to key players opened the door for the Hoyas to mount a comeback.
Trailing in the first set 4-2, Justin Fox sprained his ankle and had to forfeit his match.
"It's tough losing one of your top singles and doubles players," coach Nik DeVore said of Fox., who will be out for at least a week pending X-rays.
Additionally, Joseph Lok experienced soreness in his shoulders. He probably would have forfeited his match, DeVore said, but the Hoyas had closed within one point after Eric Riley's loss.
With the teams tied at 3-3, Penn's hopes for victory rested on an unlikely hero: No. 6 Adam Schwartz.
He certainly made it interesting, blowing a 5-2 lead in the first set before finally winning in a tiebreak. In the second, he took a 3-0 lead and then allowed a key break. But he won the final three, deuce-filled games, to hang on to the set 6-2 and to give the Quakers the match.
"After letting him come back to 3-2, I just told myself to stay aggressive, get my first serves in and attack his backhand," Schwartz said, "I needed to make sure I controlled the points. I would get in trouble when I was defensive."
DeVore did not mind that the match went down the wire.
"It's important to be tested early in the season. To have the match come down to 3-all this early is a good mental test for us too," he said. "It was a really fun environment."
The women had a slightly easier time.
Despite No. 1 Ekaterina Kosminskaya being out with the flu, the reigning Ivy League Champions made short work of their cross-town foes.
Filling in for Kosminskaya, senior Yulia Rivelis controlled every aspect of her match, a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Alexa Ely, a freshman from North Carolina, earned her starter status.
"She played well," senior tri-captain Michelle Mitchell said. "It was her first college match, so I'm sure she was a little nervous, but she pulled through."
All in all, the women's team - winners of its last nine regular season matches - looked ready to defend its title.
"We want to repeat as Ivy League Champs," coach Mike Dowd said. "It won't be easy but that's our goal."
