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Some games are decided by just talent; others, by coaching
too. Georgetown tennis coach Gordie Ernst hopes his squad’s upcoming
match with Penn is defined by the former.
Last week, Penn (3-8) shipped out to California for the first time since the 2010-11 season for a four-game stint, finishing 1-3 through their first outdoor matches of the year.
De Alwis, a sophomore, is a Sri Lankan native who has had an interesting path to Penn, including stops in international play and learning the game in other countries.
Though the Penn men’s and women’s tennis teams achieved
mostly mediocre results last year, there were
plenty of happy moments to go around. Here are the top five.
In the program’s first ever match against the Redbirds (4-3), the injury-riddled Quakers (1-5) fought hard across the board, but ultimately the team was not able to win the close matchups it needed, falling 5-2 on Sunday.
Penn (9-11, 1-6 Ivy) lost to the Lions (15-7, 5-2) in New York by the slimmest of margins, 4-3. The Quakers then dropped Sunday’s match to No. 51 Cornell (14-8, 3-4), 5-2.
The birds are chirping and the sun is shining, but the Penn men’s tennis team is still practicing indoors — an unfortunate consequence of circumstances completely outside their control.
Matched up with two of the toughest teams in the Ivy League at the Hamlin Tennis Center, the Penn men’s tennis team defeated No. 70 Dartmouth on Saturday before falling to No. 19 Harvard in a heartbreaker on Sunday.
Penn (8-6, 0-1 Ivy) came back to win the last three matches over No. 52 Princeton (12-4, 1-0) to move closer, but the Tigers had already clinched the victory.
The men’s tennis team will take the short trip to Princeton on Saturday to take on the Tigers. Coming off its first road win of the season, the culmination of its non-conference schedule, Penn will be entering its first Ivy League match of the spring 2013 season.
SEE ALSO
Subtle differences between indoor and outdoor tennis
Quakers tennis looking to solve road woes
Young king of the Court rules Penn men’s tennis
“Penn men’s tennis overmatched by No.