M., w. tennis open league play with Columbia, Penn

With visions of Ivy League titles dancing in their heads, the men's and women's tennis teams are up for a challenge this weekend when they will finally face their Ivy rivals. After over a dozen non-conference matches during the past two months, both teams will face Penn and Columbia in a chance to demonstrate what they have been practicing for since September.

The men's team (9-5 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) will have a home-court advantage, first facing No. 71 Penn (8-6, 0-2) Friday. The Quakers are already down 0-2 in conference play after losing to Cornell, 5-2, and Columbia, 6-1, last weekend.

Currently ranked No. 66 nationally, Princeton defeated Penn during the fall season, 4-3. The Tigers placed third last year in the Ivy League, but the team finished ahead of both Penn and Columbia.

Princeton will again have the upper-hand Saturday when it faces No. 73 Columbia (7-2, 2-0), whom the Tigers crushed, 7-0, last year. However, the Tigers must be cautious as the Lions post a 2-0 league record, including the win over Penn and over Cornell, 4-3.

Staying confident

"It is necessary to keep absolute focus against all the Ivy League opponents, as upsets are not uncommon," freshman Darius Craton said. "We have remained very competitive with some of the top teams in the nation and feel that we have a good shot at beating anyone that we step on court with."

This attitude will benefit senior captain Trevor Smith against Columbia's No. 1 Oscar Chow, who is one of only two Ivy League players to currently hold an individual national ranking. Now No. 50, Chow won the Princeton Invitational 'Flight A' singles tournament this fall.

Still, the Tigers remain undaunted.

"These matches are a chance to test our abilities, and see how far we have come," sophomore Josh Burman said. "Our goal for this weekend is to go out and really enjoy the battle. This is why we play college tennis, and I am confident that if we do this, the chips will fall in our favor."

The women's team (7-4, 0-0) is gearing up in hopes of continuing its three-game winning streak by beating Columbia this Friday. Princeton's previous encounter with the Lions last year resulted in a 5-2 win for the Tigers.

The Lions are currently 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the Ivy League, having most recently suffered a tough shutout loss against Penn last Sunday.

Columbia's main threat will come from their few strong but versatile players, including No. 1 sophomore Lucia Aniello who holds impressive singles (10-4) and doubles (8-3) records as well as No. 2 freshman Molly Condit who is 12-7 in singles.

Princeton's freshmen are far from intimidated by the tough Ivy competition.

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"We have had a great season so far," said freshman Neha Uberoi. "I think we know we can do some damage."

Playing the best

Princeton will face a greater challenge Saturday against Penn, which is currently ranked No. 41. Penn has been riding high on a series of wins, which include its latest victory over Columbia, 7-0. Penn holds an overall record of 11-4 and is the defending Ivy League champion.

The last encounter between Penn and Princeton resulted in a 7-0 sweep for the Quakers.

Penn's roster has many talented players, including junior Alice Pirsu who is ranked No. 17 in the country and holds strong overall records in both singles (22-6) and doubles (15-8).

The Tigers will face stiff competition in the Ivies, which includes three nationally ranked teams — Penn, No. 44 Yale and No. 18 Harvard.

"There are some strong teams out there, particularly Harvard and Penn," junior Jackie Arcario said, "but we are every bit as tough and are going to come out with a bang."