It may be the weekend, but the Penn women's tennis team has an exam on Saturday.
The subject: Virginia Commonwealth, in Richmond, Va.
"I think this weekend we're going to find out how we're playing," coach Mike Dowd said. "When we're playing a team of this level we're going to find out where we are as a team and what we're going to need to work on afterwards."
No. 34 VCU (7-0), coming off of a win over No. 10 Clemson, poses one of the biggest threats the Quakers will face all season. Penn is ranked 52nd and last faced off against Old Dominion Feb. 6, winning a tight battle.
"Last week was a close match for us, so I think that shows us that we're all playing well," senior captain Julia Koulbitskaya said. "But we need to step up our performance because it wasn't our best as a team."
The Quakers needed the week of rest in between matches. The flu had swept through the team, but now the players are now feeling strong and restless for some good competition.
"I'm lucky that I'm part of a team that is very competitive individually, and I think everyone knows that [VCU] is a tough team," Koulbitskaya said. "Everybody's excited rather than scared or not motivated.
When VCU traveled to Philadelphia last season, it handed the Quakers a 5-2 defeat on their home courts. Penn thinks it has a chance to give the Rams a taste of their own medicine tomorrow.
"We had a tough match with them last year, and we had a chance to potentially win," Dowd said. "I think their team is at the same level - or maybe not quite as good - as they were last year, and we have more or less the same nucleus, so I think we have a great shot."
The Rams' No. 1 singles player, Tatsiana Uvarova, is the No. 35 player in the country. Dowd is sure that the top singles matchup, which will pit Uvarova against Penn senior captain Yulia Rivelis, will set the tone for the meet.
VCU's facility will add to the Quakers' difficulties. The courts are enclosed by "The Bubble," which allows for play during the winter months, and which Koulbitskaya says "is very difficult to play in" due to lack of oxygen and overwhelming heat.
As an experienced team, the Quakers won't let The Bubble trap their game.
"Luckily we have a lot of seniors that have played there before, so they know what to expect," Dowd said. "I think it's an advantage."
