Pirsu falls in final of invite

If Alice Pirsu learned anything on Sunday, it's to never underestimate a freshman.

The crowd watched in awe as Tulane rookie Julie Smekodub upset the Penn junior, 6-2, 6-4, in the finals of the sixth annual Cissie Leary Memorial Invitational on Sunday. Smekodub beat No. 1 seed Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion, last year's champion, in the semifinal.

"I think I played pretty well, but so did she," Pirsu said. "There was a lot pressure for the match, but she was focused and constant. She was making the big shots."

Making a name for herself by taking down the nation's 11th and 14th ranked players on Lott Courts, Smekodub proved that she will be fierce competition on the collegiate tennis circuit.

As top talent from the East Coast's premier tennis programs descended upon Philadelphia for the tournament, Pirsu, last year's Ivy League Player of the Year and All-American, was coming off a huge win at last week's William & Mary Invitational, where she defeated Cahana in the final.

By Sunday, she was the only Quaker remaining in the competition. The rigorous pace of the tournament, however, had noticeably worn her down, as she lost to Smekodub in straight sets.

"She played really hard, I think, but Julie was hitting on all cylinders this weekend," Penn women's tennis coach Michael Dowd said. "Alice is playing much better, though. She's had a much better start this year."

Indeed, her record this year stands at 8-1, compared to 4-2 at the same point last year.

"I'm very confident with her tennis at this point," Dowd said. "She's fit and ready to go. She's just got to keep practicing hard, play some more matches, and she'll be tough to beat this season."

"There are many things I could have done differently, but I couldn't come up with the solutions," Pirsu said. "She just made a lot of winners."

Pirsu was not alone in her success this weekend. Also turning in strong performances for the Red and Blue were Nicole Ptak, Caroline Stanislawski, and Raluca Ciochina, all of whom advanced to the Round of 16.

For freshmen Stanislawski and Ciochina, the tournament -- which attracted 15 of the nation's top-100 players -- was their collegiate debut at Penn.

"It's a positive experience for me to get a feel for college matches, see what the level of play will be," Ciochina said.

Nonetheless, she had an impressive run, narrowly losing, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, to No. 9 seed Eva Wang of Harvard.

Stanislawski took on No. 1 seed Cahana in the Round of 16, falling, 6-3, 6-3, while Ptak, a junior, was eliminated by Yale's Biffy Kaufman ,6-1, 6-3.

In doubles action, the top-seeded team of Ashley Hedberg and Jessica Roland from Texas A&M; were upset by Harvard rookies Melissa Anderson and Eva Wang in the Round of 16.

Penn State's Leigh Ann Merryman and Maria Hussain topped the Crimson's sophomore duo of Susanna Lingman and Courtney Bergman in the final, 8-4.

The Quakers will be split between tournaments at Harvard and the ITA All-America Championships next week. The ITA Championship, the first of three college national championships each season, is in California.

"These are the most dedicated girls I know," Dowd said. "We have a lot of depth. We have some great freshmen.

"But there's always room for improvement. That will never stop."

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