As the Ivy season approaches, winning is more important than ever for the women’s tennis team.
And that is just what the Quakers did Saturday, as they emerged victorious over Temple.
The Quakers took down the Owls in a clean sweep, 7-0, at home this weekend.
Prior to Saturday, coach Sanela Kunovac was worried about the team’s mindset during match play, but after the team’s confident shutout, that is no longer a concern.
“I believe they had a quiet confidence,” Kunovac said. “It wasn’t in your face, but that was just what we needed.”
The match began with the doubles competitions, which is usually a strong suit for Penn.
As expected, the doubles teams of junior Stephanie Do and sophomore Alex Ion, as well as sophomore Sol Eskenazi and freshman Sonya Latycheva, both won their respective matches, earning Penn the doubles point.
With the match off to a good start, the team carried that energy into the singles competitions, in which every contest was won within the first two sets.
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“The fact that they got the win without going into the third set — that really shows the confidence we had,” Kunovac said.
Kunovac was particularly pleased with how the team handled the absence of senior co-captain Jules Rodin, who is out for the rest of the season due to an injury she acquired earlier this week.
“We lost her [Jules] this week, but the girls responded well and really stepped up,” Kunovac said. “That impressed me.”
Being the last match for the Quakers before Ivy play begins, Kunovac said it was time to put together everything the team has learned this season.
“We’re no longer acquiring new skills,” Kunovac said. “We are putting the skills to the gas pedal and pushing through the Ivy [matches].”
The team’s first Ivy competition is Saturday, March 30th, at home against Princeton. For the rest of the season, tennis will be the team’s main focus.
“Student athletes have big demand for time,” Kunovac said. “Throughout most of the year academics is the number one thing on everyone’s mind, but once Ivy season begins, tennis takes its spot.”
With the confidence issue solved, the team heads into the Ivy matches with pride, knowing this has been the best start to a season since 2006.
“With Princeton a week away,” Kunovac said, “We’re in a very good spot.”
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