If only one match went differently Saturday for the Penn women's tennis team, the Quakers would have defeated crosstown rival Temple.
The ball didn't bounce in the Quakers' favor, though, at the No. 3 spot, as sophomore Alexa Ely dropped the final game, 6-4, to Temple's Lucie Paderoza in a close three-set match. The Owls defeated Penn, 4-3, at Levy Pavilion.
"It could have gone either way," interim coach Sarah Schiffman said. "It's frustrating, but at the same time it's encouraging that we're pretty close as everything starts to come together and everyone starts to get healthy."
Despite the loss, the Quakers (1-5) still see themselves as a talented squad.
"I think we're getting there," senior Lauren Sadaka said. "I think that we're all fighters, we all want to win, we're all athletes, we all have good technique. So we're a tough team to beat."
If there's anything this season's losses provide that the Red and Blue desperately need, it's experience.
"We have a really young team," junior Maria Anisimova said. "It's hard to transition practice into match play, and we've lost a few matches this season. We just have to get our confidence up."
Moreover, the team is currently struggling to get healthy. Junior and No. 1 player Ekaterina Kominskaya has the flu and freshman Emily Wolf is recovering from mononucleosis.
Anisimova and Sadaka were the bright spots on the day for Penn. The duo clinched a win at the No. 1 doubles spot, and both won their singles matches, at No. 1 and No. 2., respectively.
"Sadaka has been a rock for us," Schiffman said. "Maria has stepped it up [too] the past couple weeks. The [day] had already been decided, but [Anisimova] still fought really hard and played great, competed well and came out on top."
The match wasn't easy for Anisimova, though.
"I wasn't feeling well. I was kind of light-headed all match and I couldn't get my rhythm," she said. "It wasn't my day. I was out of it and I was just missing shots I shouldn't be missing, so I had to fight through that."
Anisimova played Elyse Steiner, the No. 1 player for Temple (6-4), who had beaten her in the fall.
"I think [Anisimova] was really patient when she needed to be, but when she had the short ball she stepped it up and used her forehand as her weapon," Schiffman said. "She also served really well. The combination, and her competitiveness really pulled her through today."
Now the team has its eyes set on a sunny California spring break trip, hoping to turn experience and confidence into wins to get its season back on track.
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