M. Tennis sweeps by Owls

After dropping two out of three matches in sunny Florida over spring break, the Penn men's tennis team returned to Philadelphia with a vengeance. The Quakers quickly re-adjusted to the cold weather and stomped Temple, 7-0, yesterday at Lott Courts. In fact, the Quakers were so overpowering that they took all three doubles matches, as well as all the singles matches in straight sets. For the bottom of the Penn lineup, dispatching the Owls proved an easy affair. Playing at No. 4, senior co-captain Eric Sobotka defeated his opponent, 6-1, 6-1. Junior Kevin Strouse completely dominated his match, taking a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 5, while at No. 6, freshman Jon Boswell walked away with a 6-2, 6-1 win. At the top of the lineup, though, the Quakers had a slightly more difficult time. With usual-No. 1 Fanda Stejskal suspended for one match, Ryan Harwood competed at the top spot. The sophomore easily took the first set, 6-3, against Owl's No. 1 Krishane Pillay before battling for a 7-5 victory in the second set. "I think I played well. I'm on a hot streak," Harwood said. "I'm hitting the ball well and I'm playing smart.... [The win] was a confidence booster." Rounding out the Penn lineup, junior Brian Barki took a 7-5, 6-1 win at the second spot, and senior co-captain Rob Pringle scored a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Currently riding a two-match win streak, Penn heads to Army on Sunday, looking to even up its record at 6-6. But beating the Cadets will be no easy task, as the Quakers learned last fall when Army defeated Penn, 4-3, in the first round of ECACs. Months later, Penn has not forgotten the defeat. "It's a grudge match. We are going to be out for blood," Sobotka said. "I think we're a better team than them, but we're going to have to prove that on their court." While all the Quakers are gunning for Army, for Strouse, who celebrates his 21st birthday Sunday, a win would be the perfect present. And the team is planning to give him the victory he desires. "We're going to celebrate Strouse's birthday with a win over Army," Sobotka declared.

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