Lauren Sadaka's match against Yale's Vicky Brook came down to a few points and some debatable calls. However, it didn't end in Sadaka's favor. She lost on a grueling tiebreaker, 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 - her only loss of the weekend in either singles or doubles.
"[Lauren's] one of the greatest competitors we've ever had at Penn, and she's the inspiration for everyone else on our team," interim coach Sara Schiffman said. "It's a shame she couldn't pull out that match. It could have gone either way, and she fought hard for the last point, and we really appreciate her effort out there."
But in the end, effort just wasn't enough for the women's tennis team, who lost to Yale, 6-1, Saturday at Levy Pavilion in addition to losing Friday, 5-2, to Brown.
The only point Penn (1-12, 0-3 Ivy) picked up against Yale (11-5, 2-1) was at No. 2 singles, where junior Maria Anisimova endured a long third-set tiebreaker to defeat Yale's Jessica Rhee (6-7, 6-3, 10-7).
"They hit a little bit harder, and [their] girls are a little bit stronger," Schiffman said.
The Quakers fared better against Brown (16-3, 2-1). Sadaka won a three-set match at No. 3 singles against Tanja Vucetic, while freshman Emily Wolf won at No. 6 singles against Catherine Stewart.
Sadaka and Wolf were Penn's only doubles team to win a match over the weekend.
"Emily and I have been playing really well together," Sadaka said. "We're fired up to play, and we feel like we're unbeatable. We pump each other up, we're there for each other, we work really well together, and it clicks when we play together."
They are undefeated in doubles since starting to play together after the team's spring break trip to California.
"I think it makes a big difference playing together, having positive energy and [then] going out and playing our singles," Sadaka said.
Penn is trying to hold onto that "positive energy" for their next four league matches. The Quakers' past three matches have been against teams ranked in the top four in the conference.
"We have everything we need to win, so I think the next four we should do well," Sadaka said. "It's just a matter of putting that extra little bit of energy that could really make a difference. I think we're going to have some 'W's.'"
Those opportunities are slipping away as the season comes closer to an end, and Sadaka, the team's sole senior and "rock," according to Schiffman, plays her last matches.
"[The team wants] to do everything [it] can to make the last four matches the best for them and the best for [Sadaka]," Schiffman said.
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