There’s nothing quite like a crosstown rivalry. And with Temple coming to town, the Penn women’s tennis team is looking to use that energy to shake off a rough loss out west.
Saturday, the Quakers (6-4) will host the Owls (4-8) after a 2-1 trip to California that was a microcosm of the team’s season.
Penn has been electric this season thus far, seeming to have caught lightning in a bottle at times, showing their perseverance and discipline in their victories while at times coming up on the wrong end of a close finish. Against Rhode Island and Gonzaga, the Quakerscoasted easily, winning both matches by identical 5-2 margins.
But the Red and Blue are after coming off of a nail-biting 4-3 loss to UC Irvine that closed out the trip. Going into this weekend Penn will be looking to right their ship and finish off a strong opponent in what is its last matchup before Ivies begin.
“We’ve had really close matches against Temple in the last two or three seasons,” coach Sanela Kunovac said. “It’s a real good test for us. I’m focused to see our team execute the things we’ve been working on in practice, not so much about the outcome.”
In the past three seasons Penn is 2-1 against the Owls, including a dominant 7-0 win last year. Temple has struggled on the road all season, as their 2-5 record away from home suggests, with only glimmers of hope.
“We scheduled Temple before the Ivies because they always push us,” Kunovac said. “They’re really tough, that’s why we scheduled them, to show us the real weaknesses we have before we hit the road and Ivies.”
This coming weekend may not be the test that the Red and Blue were looking for from Temple as in seasons past. The Owls have lost four of their last five matches by a combined 19-4 margin.
“I feel really confident, the team feels really good about where we are,” senior Jaime Yapp-Shing said. “We’ve been practicing well and playing well, so it’s looking good, we should definitely be able to pull out a win.”
Penn has all the tools to win this weekend, as it has only progressed as the season has continued. With a tough start to the season behind them, the Quakers will be looking for a dominant victory this weekend against their cross-city foes.
With confidence high, the Quakers hope to come out with a victory this weekend and keep their momentum going into Ivies.
