Wharton senior Eileen Wang follows through on a ball against Columbia on Apr. 9, 2023.
Credit: Nathaniel SirlinIn hopes of getting crowned the champion, the Penn women's tennis team hosts the 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Championship held on Feb. 7-9.
In last year’s tournament, the team finished 7th after defeating Cornell 4-2. This year, however, they will benefit from home-court advantage as the tournament will be hosted at Penn's Hecht Tennis Center.
Penn women’s tennis team has led a promising season so far — serving up a 3-2 overall record. The Quakers, who are coming off a 4-3 victory over Delaware, enter the tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Red and Blue's other wins from this spring were against Big 5 rivals Villanova and Saint Joseph's.
The team will be looking for successful performances from their veterans and young talent. Senior Eileen Wang had a strong fall season — culminating in an NCAA doubles berth. Wang also was All-Ivy Doubles and an ITA Scholar-Athlete last year. Fellow senior Sabine Rutlauka also had an undefeated record last spring — specifically in singles action —and made it to the Round of 32. Sophomore Esha Velaga went undefeated in five Ivy League matches last season and earned Ivy League Rookie and Player of the Year. The underclassman also qualified for NCAAs for both singles and doubles.
The Quakers open the tournament against Yale — the No. 2 seed of last year’s ECAC tournament — when round-robin play commences on Friday morning. The Bulldogs enter the tournament with a 3-2 record with wins over Buffalo and Penn State the weekend prior.
A win would send the Quakers to the winner’s side of the bracket where they would have to look out for contenders like current No. 2 seed Columbia — who look to defend their 2024 ECAC title.
"This weekend is our chance to see how our conference rivals are shaping up this season and see what we need to bring to the table to secure the Ivy Championship ring," said Wang.
This will be their first match back after a decisive win against a previously undefeated Delaware team. Wang and some company helped clinch the match for the Red and Blue with three single-match wins.
With no matches between their last game and the tournament, the team will be able to enter this tournament rested and energized.
“Expect to see some scrappy matches from us and hopefully an ECAC championship," said Wang.
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