W. Squash competes in prestigious Invite

Although most members of the Penn women's squash team will be out of action until January 17, several will be testing their skills at the annual Betty Constable Invitational at Princeton University from January 5-7. Only the best players, usually a team's top four, are invited to participate. The Invitational is the only opportunity to play in an individual tournament before the season-ending Intercollegiate Championships. Performance here will likely have a large impact on the seedings for the season finale. Team members Jessica DiMauro, Lissa Hunsicker, and Dana Lipson will be trying to extend the success of the Quakers (6-0, 2-0 Ivy League) outside the team format. Each of the three players will bring different personal goals to the tournament. For DiMauro, Penn's No. 1 player, taking home the trophy is a reasonable aim. The event should be a chance for the Canadian native to play against top Americans she has not yet faced in her career. One notable opponent will be Princeton star Katherine Johnson, who has been studying abroad. "The Princeton Invitational is a great start to the new season...to see what everyone's been working on," DiMauro said. Lipson, a freshman who occupies the third position on the squad, will be getting her first taste of individual competition at the college level. Hunsicker, a senior, who lost the top spot when DiMauro arrived this season, has her own outlook. "I'm looking forward to it because I don't get to play any of the number ones," she said. "So I can see how I do against them. It's a way to gauge where you are." The tournament will have a seeded draw, following a double elimination format. Three Quakers will be ending their winter vacations and a month of hibernation from competitive squash, in order to hit the ground running in the new year.