PHILADELPHIA— The University of Pennsylvania women's tennis team looks to improve in the Ivy League standings as they face No. 69 Columbia in a conference clash this Friday afternoon in the Hamlin/Hecht Tennis Centers.
Penn (9-8) vs. No. 69 Columbia (11-7)
Friday, April 11, 2025 | 1 p.m.
Hamlin/Hecht Tennis Centers | Philadelphia, Pa.
The Quakers will then prepare to travel to Ithaca, N.Y. for their last road match of the regular season against Cornell on Sunday afternoon.
Penn vs. Cornell (10-6)
Sunday, April 13, 2025 | 1 p.m.
Reis Tennis Center | Ithaca, N.Y.
Quaker Notemeal
Penn enters the weekend 9-8 overall and 2-1 in conference play following a weekend with back-to-back matches on the road. The Quakers won their first match last weekend at Dartmouth, 4-1, clinching the doubles point and earning three wins in singles (Eileen Wang at No. 4, Gavriella Smith at No. 5, and Maya Urata at No. 6) to secure the match. The Red and Blue subsequently fell to Harvard the next day, 0-4, as the Crimson earned the doubles point (2-1) and three wins in singles to sweep the match.
Penn now sits in the middle of the pack in the conference standings, ranked fifth in the Ivy League. All four teams behind first-place Harvard hold a 2-1 conference record with overall records serving as tiebreakers (T-2 Columbia, T-2 Yale, No. 4 Brown). Led by No. 72 Sabine Rutlauka and No. 116 Esha Velaga, the Quakers have a good chance at the conference title this year with three of their four remaining matches being played in Philadelphia. The Red and Blue have proven to be a strong home team this year, earning an 8-2 record on their home courts.
Previewing the Lions
Columbia enters Friday's match ranked No. 69 in the ITA's national rankings, accumulating an 11-7 overall record and a 2-1 conference record. The Lions have received national recognition since the first expanded rankings were announced for the season (February 20, 2025), previously ranked at 63, 57, 62, 69, 71, and 72 before jumping back up to 69 in this week's rankings. Taking over the No. 69 spot previously held by No. 63 Yale, the two programs are the only Ivy League teams to be recognized in the ITA rankings. Tied for second overall in the Ivy League standings, Columbia has collected wins against Cornell and Brown with their only conference loss coming against No. 63 Yale last weekend (then No. 69).
Penn is looking for its first regular season win over Columbia since 2019. In their meeting last season in New York, the Lions edged out the win over the Quakers in a 4-3 result.
Previewing the Big Red
Cornell enters the weekend 10-6 overall and searching for its first win in Ivy League play. Sitting 0-3 in conference play, the Big Red have received losses from Columbia, Yale, and Brown and are in seventh place in the Ivy League standings. Traveling to eighth-place Princeton on Friday, Cornell is hoping to move to .500 on the road this season ahead of its return home for Sunday's match against Penn. The Big Red have demonstrated an advantage on their home courts, garnering a 6-1 record in Ithaca, N.Y.
When Penn and Cornell met earlier this season, the Big Red edged out the Quakers in singles during the ECAC Indoor Championship tournament in Philadelphia, Pa. to earn a 4-3 victory (read the match recap here). Despite the ECAC result, this matchup still favors the Red and Blue. Penn has not lost to Cornell in conference play since 2016, dominating the matchup for almost nine years.
For the latest on Penn women's tennis, follow @PennWomensTennis on Instagram, @PennWTennis on X (formerly Twitter), and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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