W. Tennis | Penn looks to manifest season's destiny

With No. 39 Princeton looming after spring break, the women's tennis team will need all the preparation it can get for that match.

Good thing the Quakers (1-5) are going on a trip to California during the break.

With everyone finally healthy, including No. 1 player Ekaterina Kosminskaya, the Quakers are ready to travel across the country today and test their skills against four competitive West Coast teams.

The Quakers will play St. Mary's (3-4), Fresno State (4-4), Arizona (5-3) and Sacramento State (7-3) during their eight-day excursion. Three of the teams are nationally ranked.

The most talented team Penn will play is Fresno State. The team is currently No. 22, and two of its doubles teams rank in the top 10. However, that doesn't phase Penn senior captain Lauren Sadaka.

"I don't even look at [the rankings] like that," she said.

Like Sadaka, interim coach Sara Schiffman feels "confident" going in to spring break, despite the team's record.

"The trip is great preparation for the Ivy League season," Schiffman said. "It'll give us a chance to play outside, play against some new faces and get good competition."

One nice perk about California is that it gives the Quakers a chance to escape dreary Philadelphia weather and begin practicing in the elements.

"You have the wind to deal with [and] the sun," Schiffman said. "We really need that time to get used to the outdoors."

Schiffman's younger players especially need the experience, as more than half of Penn's roster is composed of underclassmen.

"I think some of the girls will get more confidence," junior Maria Anisimova said. "There's a different tension, there's different competition. I think going and playing four matches over break will get [the younger players] fired up and ready for [the season] physically and mentally."

Anisimova has been playing at No. 1 singles during Kosminskaya's absence. She will move back down the ladder to the No. 2 spot.

Time is another spring break bonus for the Quakers.

"When you're at Penn you have so much schoolwork that it's hard to put out three, four hours a day," Anisimova said. "When you're on spring break and there's nothing else to do and you play matches every other day, you definitely get in shape and build your endurance."

Sadaka agrees the trip will be a tremendous bonus for her team, which has struggled so far. She looks forward to playing many matches in a row, instead of disjointed weekend matches interrupted by practices.

"This is more back-to-back, which will put everyone in a rhythm," Sadaka said. "Once we get on a roll I think we're going to do really well."

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