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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Nationally-Ranked Tennis Teams Begin Ivy League Play With Penn Saturday
March 28, 2008 | Women's Tennis
After two months traveling throughout the country and even outside the country for non-conference play, Princeton's nationally-ranked tennis teams begin Ivy League play much closer to home against Penn Saturday. The women play host to the Quakers at noon, while the men play in Philadelphia at 2 p.m.
The Tiger women are ranked No. 64 this week, their highest ranking so far in 2008, and finished 7-6 in a non-conference schedule that featured seven matches against ranked opponents. Princeton got a victory against a ranked opponent March 19 in Puerto Rico, defeating No. 55 Illinois 4-3 in one of two matches the Tigers played during a Spring Break trip to the island.
The Princeton men, ranked as high as No. 50 earlier this season, are at the No. 71 spot nationally as Ivy League play begins. The Tigers finished 8-5 in non-league play against a schedule featuring five ranked opponents, including an impressive 4-3 victory at No. 42 Clemson in late February. During Spring Break, Princeton played four matches in Southern California.
Sophomore Melissa Saiontz is ranked No. 70 nationally in singles as the Ivy League season begins for the Princeton women. Included in her wins this spring are a victory over Northwestern's Georgia Rose, the No. 5-ranked player nationally, and she also played a three-set match in a tough loss to Duke's Ellah Nze, currently ranked No. 14.
Princeton's No. 1 men's doubles team of sophomore George Carpeni and junior Alex Krueger-Wyman, nationally-ranked earlier this season, won three of its four matches in California and nearly pulled an upset of the No. 23-ranked team from Pepperdine in the other one, falling in a tiebreak.
The Penn women (5-6) are also nationally-ranked, at No. 72 this week, and have played a similar schedule as their Tiger counterparts with seven ranked opponents in their 11 non-league matches. Sophomore Kate Kosminskaya was ranked No. 103 in the last singles rankings. The Quakers won the Ivy League championship a season ago.
The Penn men are 9-7 this spring and have won two straight matches heading into Saturday's Ivy opener. The Quakers shared the Ivy League title with Columbia a season ago.
Saturday's matches are scheduled for Princeton's Lenz Tennis Center and Penn's Lott Courts respectively, but cold/inclement weather may force the matches indoors. At Princeton, the matches would be played on the Jadwin Gym "E" level, while Penn's Levy Pavilion would host the men's match.