Penn State coach Buffy Baker feels that this season's team is doing well, but the key for its success will be continuing to push itself.
"It's got to be just a feeling of never being satisfied," Baker said. "It's got to be a gut sense of 'I still have to push it a little bit, got to turn it up just a little bit more and not being satisfied with just getting through a drill.' "
Two of the team's strongest examples of this mentality are No. 1 Maaria Husain and No. 5 Jenny Schular. Husain, who joined the team as a walk-on, has gone 7-1 in singles, most recently beat Top 100 player Dora Vastag of Indiana. Baker feels that the strong play is due to her improved composure when under pressure.
"I've been so pleased with where Maaria is right now," Baker said. "The difference for her from previous years is she's been able to stay calm and confident when the pressure's been on and I think that's a role model for the rest of the team."
Schular, a freshman, has also shown an uncanny ability to stay cool in difficult situations.
On Sunday, against Indiana, Schular was down 2-5 and then down again in a tiebreaker before eventually winning the match in three sets.
Sunday's win continued Schular's undefeated streak in singles, a special accomplishment for a freshman. While only in her first year, Schular has shown an uncanny ability to win matches, even if it isn't pretty.
"She forces herself to be okay with sometimes winning ugly," Baker said. "She hasn't been playing her greatest tennis, but she continues to find a way to win."
The team will continue to try to find ways to win as the conference season looms, but first the Lehigh match will give the team what it hopes will be a boost going into the Big Ten.
"I think it'll be good to have one more non-conference match before it becomes all Big Ten," Baker said.
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