W. Squash can't topple No. 1 Harvard

The Penn women's squash team may have split its two matches this weekend, but the road trip was still a loss. The Quakers suffered a devastating 5-4 defeat to No. 1 Harvard Saturday, possibly ending this year's quest for a title. Penn, showing its resilience, bounced back Sunday to beat Dartmouth 7-2, bringing its record to 5-1 on the season. The Quakers put all their energy into preparing for the showdown with Harvard, a match which they felt might determine the national champion. Despite several weeks of dedicated practice once and sometimes twice a day, Penn couldn't close the door against a tough Crimson team. The Red and Blue did have one stroke of good luck this weekend, as a tired Harvard team lost to Princeton Sunday 7-2. Now for Penn to finish the season in a tie for first, it has to beat the Tigers at home Monday. Playing Harvard on the road certainly had negative effects on the Quakers. "I can't believe that match," junior captain Jessica DiMauro said. "It was the most frustrating day ever. The fans were so loud and obnoxious." Sophomore Katie Patrick turned to the referee several times during her match to ask for help. She insisted she would not continue until the crowd quieted down. "Katie did a really good job controlling the crowd," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "She hadn't eaten in four days because of the stomach flu, yet she played an unbelievable match, winning 3-1. She really had to dig deep." The match was every bit as close as the 5-4 score indicates. In fact, it was decided by a single point. Junior captain Lindsay Moss was on the court with Penn down 4-3. She battled to a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth game. Despite having match ball, squash's term for match point, Moss could not hang on to win the game, forcing a fifth and deciding game. Moss fought to a 8-8 tie before falling short, losing 10-8. DiMauro was the last Quaker to take the court, winning the final match of the day, following Harvard's victory celebration. "Jessica really rose to the occasion," Holleran said. "It was a great sense of pride for her to go out there with all that emotion and win. It's a great boost for the team when the No. 1 and 2 seeds both win." Another high point was the two wins posted by freshmen Rina Borromeo and Megan Fuller. Both knocked off their opponents 3-0. "I was very excited but very nervous," Borromeo said. "The pressure inspired me to put my all into every point. I played at 120 percent." Fuller's win was hard earned considering she had spent her Christmas break in the hospital with a bacterial kidney infection. Despite having only one week of practice since early December, she pulled it together and put forth a winning effort. The Quakers hope by the time they face Princeton, the team will be healthy. Patrick, Fuller and freshman Helen Bamber were all terribly sick, affecting their strength and performance this weekend. "They were so tough," DiMauro said. "It took a lot of guts for them to go out there and play so hard." Considering this was the first match that had the pressure of a championship for most of the young Quaker team, they are not too disappointed with the result. "Now we know the strength of our team," Borromeo said. "We're equal to Harvard and Princeton and we have a chance to win the national championship." Holleran, though happy with the effort of her team, is ready for another chance. "Next time we'll do better," Holleran said.