Penn seeded 3rd at Howe Cup

Quakers hope to move upQuakers hope to move upin the national rankings If you asked the Penn women's squash players three months ago if they thought they would be seeded third in the top division at the most prestigious collegiate squash tournament in the nation, they might have answered, "Are you for real?" Truth is, the women's squash team is 100 percent for real. In fact, they couldn't be any more excited for the Howe Cup this weekend at Yale's Payne Whitney Gymnasium where the nation's top 27 colleges play for the national championship. It will be the last Howe Cup for senior captain Jenna Bertocchi, who is the only member of the team to have played four years at the Cup. Bertocchi was undefeated in Howe Cup match play last year. "My personal goal is to be undefeated this year [at Howe Cup]," Bertocchi said. Bertocchi and the rest of the team will be playing a total of three teams this weekend. Friday they take on Trinity at 10:30 a.m., and Dartmouth at 3:15 p.m. During the regular season, the Quakers defeated both teams in close 5-4 matches. "Friday is going to be a big test for us," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. Saturday Penn will be matched up against Princeton, who just a week and a half ago beat the Quakers 7-2. Finally, depending on how they fare against their first three opponents, the Quakers will play a fourth and final match Sunday. "It's definitely possible to beat Princeton," Holleran said. "We're a fitter team and that is going to make a difference." The Quakers are playing among the top eight college teams in the nation in the A division. The only two teams the Quakers (10-2, 2-2 Ivy) have lost to this season, Harvard and Princeton, are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. For the past six years, the Crimson have come out on top at the Howe Cup. "Being in the A division is a real honor, it's where we belong," Bertocchi said. Penn ended the regular season ranked at No. 3, and this weekend is the team's chance to display its best play of the season. "It's the season finale, it's representative of how we play at the end of the year," Holleran said. "We've had an extremely successful season and we have to turn it up this championship weekend."