W. Squash wants redemption at Howe

The Penn women's squash team may not have won the Ivy League title, but it will certainly settle for the Howe Cup championship. On Monday, Princeton (8-0, 6-0 Ivy League) beat Penn on Ringe Courts to clinch the Ivy championship. But the Quakers (5-2, 4-2) will not have to wait long for a chance at redemption. The Howe Cup, held on Yale's home courts, is a tournament to determine the top squash team, not just in the Ivy League but in the nation. Each team plays one match each day Friday through Sunday, whether it wins or loses. If the No. 3-seeded Quakers can remain in the winners' bracket, they will face Trinity at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Harvard at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Princeton in the championship match Sunday. The schedule is contingent on all teams following their respective paths through the bracket. Penn knows that it has to beat Trinity in order to get to Harvard, but it can't help but look forward to the rematch. On January 31, the Crimson defeated the Quakers 5-4. "I think the team is really excited for another shot at Harvard," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "We came so close last time we think we really deserve to beat them now." The Quakers should be helped by the fact that they play this time in neutral territory. The raucous Harvard crowd definitely shook up the Penn players the last time the teams met in Boston. First, the Red and Blue must knock off Trinity. With their eyes set on their two Ancient Eight foes, it is hard for the Quakers not to lose sight of the immediate goal. "We really need to focus on the match at hand," Holleran said. "It does no good thinking about Harvard and Princeton if we don't beat Trinity." Trinity has one of the best No. 1 and No. 2 combinations in the country. Its top seed is freshman Janine Thompson, a former South African Junior National champion. Equally tough is No. 2 Gail Davies, a sophomore who played No. 1 for the Bantams last season. Penn's No. 1 and No. 2, Jessica DiMauro and Katie Patrick, may have their hands full, but the Quakers lineup is heavily favored in the three through nine spots and should sweep the Bantams at those positions. A unique feature about intercollegiate women's squash is that it crowns two national champions. There are two separate ranking lists which determine the winners. Princeton is already a national champion for finishing the season with the best record in dual match competition. The winner of the Howe Cup also earns equal bragging rights as national champions of equal importance. "We're going in with a positive attitude," junior captain Lindsay Moss said. "Even though we lost to Princeton and Harvard we know we can win this." Penn has never beaten either Harvard or Princeton in the history of the 22-year-old squash program. "Princeton and Harvard should be scared," sophomore Eliza Jacobs said. "We came dangerously close to winning before. Besides, we have nothing to lose." The Quakers are looking forward to playing the role of the spoiler and would love to improve on their No. 3 ranking. "It's going to be a real test to have everyone put together their best squash this weekend," Holleran said.