The good, the bad, and the ugly. Penn women’s tennis (2-2) current record reflects the mediocre start to the season.
The team opened its 2026 campaign with a home doubleheader against familiar foes Villanova (1-3) and Saint Joseph’s (1-3). Senior Maya Urata and junior Esha Velaga kicked off competition with a 6-3 victory over Villanova’s Maggie Gehrig and Emi Callahan, while junior Liza Tkachenko and freshman Joleen Saw overcame a tight matchup to win their first doubles match of the season.
Velaga and Saw also triumphed in their first singles matches of the season, while sophomore Lara Stojanovski narrowly defeated Gehrig in extra sets. The taste of a single shutout victory wasn’t enough to satiate the Quakers as they played aggressively against Saint Joseph’s the following day.
The Urata/Velaga duo returned with renewed strength, defeating their opponent 6-2 in straight sets, while Stojanovski and freshman Varsha Vedula only allowed a single point from Saint Joseph’s. Luckily for the Quakers, the other sets were called before the Hawks could defeat Tkachenko and Saw in extra serves.
Velaga and Stojanovski dominated in the scoring singles sets against St. Joe’s. Their start is eerily similar to last season, where the Quakers began their 12-9 season with home shutout victories over Villanova and Saint Joseph’s.
Last season, the Quakers finished second in the Ivy League, posting a 5-2 record. Velaga succeeded in individual play during the fall, capturing her second ITA Northeast Regional title and qualifying for the NCAA Singles Championships.
Unfortunately for the Quakers, their weak away performances carried over from last season as well.
Penn women’s tennis traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the ITA Kickoff Tournament last weekend in hopes of scoring a bid to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February. Instead, they walked away with a pair of shutout losses against No. 7 Michigan (1-1) and Notre Dame (3-1).
Michigan played with momentum that wouldn’t let up as the Quakers tested different doubles configurations on away turf. Junior Sasha Motlagh played her first sets of the season alongside Stojanovski in a close match against Michigan. Although Urata notably upset No. 85 Bernales in the tiebreaker round of the No. 3 match, the contest was terminated due to early shutouts against Stojanovski and Tkachenko. The singles thus fell in Michigan’s favor, who advanced to the championship round against No. 19 Vanderbilt.
Close competition defined doubles play, and entering singles, the Quakers were more evenly matched against Notre Dame, but Penn still suffered a hasty defeat at the hands of the Fighting Irish.
Although Velaga won the opening set against No. 58 Bianca Molnar and was on pace to repeat the feat, the match was called. Urata similarly took the first set against Notre Dame’s Akari Matsuno, but their match was also abandoned after early losses elsewhere.
The Quakers have a long road ahead of them if they hope to earn their first Ivy title in nearly 20 years, but the season is already shaping up to be competitive. But with strong players such as Velaga, Urata, and Saw in the mix, its hard to count out the Quakers.
