Penn sophomore a star on and off court

Michelle Yeh understands her place on the Penn women's tennis team.

Attention is hard to come by when you are teammates with former Ivy League Players of the Year Alice Pirsu and Sanela Kunovac.

But the two-time defending Ivy League champion Quakers are not a two-person team. Penn's demanding schedule this year will require significant contributions from its bottom players, as Pirsu and Kunovac will certainly be tested by some of the nation's best.

Yeh understands this perfectly. Last year as a freshman, she compiled a 22-9 record as the Quakers' No. 5 or 6 player.

Not bad for somebody who divides her time amongst several out-of-class endeavors.

Yeh, a lifelong participant in community service projects, volunteers her time at local soup kitchens. She also is a member of Wharton Women, while holding a work-study job on the side.

Because of the extensive travel involved in collegiate tennis, Yeh and her teammates are forced to manage their time thoughtfully. The Quakers' results are certainly making their hard work well worth it.

"Our team has a lot to look forward to this year," Yeh said. "We are stronger than ever, and we expect to three-peat as Ivy champs."

Head coach Michael Dowd has instilled lots of confidence in his players during his seven-year tenure at Penn.

As the 2002-2003 season gets underway this weekend at the William and Mary Invitational, Coach Dowd has his troops believing that they belong not only at the top of the Ivies, but the nation as well.

"He has helped us believe that we can become one of the top tennis programs in the country," Yeh said. "Our goals are much higher than they have been in the past."

Team camaraderie has been one of several key factors in Penn's dominant success. Although the women seem to have distinctly different backgrounds, the team has come together remarkably.

"We all get along very well and are becoming a tighter knit team everyday," the sophomore said.

The transition from high-school stardom, to being at the bottom of the ladder as a college freshman, was a breeze for Yeh.

She was ranked as high as No. 4 in the competitive USTA section of Texas, and was one of the elite girls at St. Stephen's Tennis Academy in Austin.

Her success in the juniors was not confined to the state of Texas. Yeh qualified for Nationals from an early age, traveling all over the map to compete.

While attempting to catch the eyes of college coaches during her junior and senior years, Yeh surge to a ranking as high as 86th in the nation.

As an eight-year old growing up in Austin, Michelle told of her days playing tennis with her dad in a neighborhood park for fun.

And it remains fun for her. She still feels the same enjoyment and love for tennis every time out.

For Yeh, being a star is not what drives her -- the team's victories and her own fun is what's most important.

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