The Quakers are in unfamiliar territory, having lost their first game of the season at Princeton last week.
But that hasn't put women's squash coach Jack Wyant in panic mode.
"That night just wasn't our night," he said. "We have some great opportunities coming up, though."
Those opportunities present themselves in the form of No. 3 Harvard (5-0, 4-0 Ivy) and No. 6 Dartmouth (6-3, 0-2). The Crimson are visiting on Saturday and the Big Green have a Sunday match at Ringe Courts.
Despite the loss, which knocked Penn (6-1, 3-1) down from No. 1 to No. 2 in the Feb. 6 national rankings, Penn hasn't folded.
"It's always disappointing to lose," senior Annie Barrett said. "But we're now motivated to work really hard these last two weeks and get another shot at them in the Howe Cup, which is the national championship tournament."
Even if the focus has shifted from winning the regular-season and Ivy championship to winning the Howe Cup, Wyant and Co. believe they can still finish the season ranked No.1. That's because Harvard has stacked all of its matches against top-five teams together in these final two weeks, so a lot can change.
On Wednesday, the Crimson held on during a long, close match for a 5-4 win over No. 4 Trinity.
For Penn to return to No. 1, the Quakers would most likely need Harvard to beat Princeton. And of course, the Quakers need to beat the Crimson.
"We're excited. We're ready," assistant coach Julie Beaver said.
But ready for what?
As a result of Harvard's stacked schedule, the Quakers don't know what to expect from them.
Among the things that could work against Penn are Harvard's six-year win streak against the Quakers as well as Crimson senior Kyla Grigg, who closed last year ranked No. 2 nationally.
But Harvard, unlike Princeton, is a younger and less experienced team.
The Big Green pose less of a threat. They've suffered losses this season to Yale and Trinity, two top-five teams that the Quakers have beaten, and squeaked out victories over Brown and Williams, whom Penn beat handily.
"We expect a win," Barrett said.
Wyant selected the Harvard match as one to promote to program alumni.
"Every year, we highlight one match that we try to get alumni to come to," he said. "This is it."
With the year winding down and the Penn women trying to keep this season's promise from slipping through their strings, this certainly is it.
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