W. Squash hosts Trinity

The Penn women's squash team, ranked third nationally, has not lost a match this year. When the Penn women's squash team reopens the season against Trinity this Saturday at Ringe Courts, there will be some new faces in the crowd for the Quakers. During winter break, freshman Chrissy Eynon managed to break into the top nine on the team ladder -- the regular starters for the Quakers -- by defeating a number of players in challenge matches. One of these critical victories came against junior Paige Kollock, who was ousted from her starter's role after her loss to Eynon. This weekend's match against Trinity (2-0), a member of the New England Small College Conference, will be the first opportunity for Eynon to prove if she really has what it takes to start for the Quakers (5-0), who are ranked third in the nation. "I have been working on trying to maintain my focus on every point," Eynon said. "I have been playing people on the team all semester, and I have kind of learned their games [but] the best kind of practice is getting some real match experience." While Eynon has spent most of the season in the 10th position, she felt that she was making a significant contribution to the team that often went unnoticed by outside observers. This weekend is finally an opportunity to show everyone else what coach Demer Holleran and she say they have known all along. "When I was playing at a lower spot than I think I should have, I think that I helped the team by applying a little pressure to the players right above me at the bottom of the lineup," Eynon said. "It gave those players some incentive to try harder and practice harder to keep their position on the team." With a little help from the NCAA, Eynon will not be the only new face in the Quakers lineup come Saturday. Although she is still awaiting eligibility clearance, senior Dana Lipson hopes to be in the middle of the lineup for the Quakers when Trinity arrives in Philadelphia from Hartford, Conn. Lipson spent her first three years at Penn as a member of the squash team, but before the season she decided that she needed a break and quit. However, over the course of the fall semester Lipson had a change of heart and approached Holleran about rejoining the Quakers for the second half of the season. Although it is extremely rare for a player to be allowed back onto the team after leaving, Holleran decided to make an exception for Lipson. "My feeling was, as a senior, she has committed three years to this team so we decided to let her rejoin the team at this time," Holleran said. If cleared, Lipson would provide invaluable strength to the middle of the Penn lineup, according to Holleran. She added that the Bantams field one of the most formidable trios in the nation at the top of its lineup. Three foreign-born players lead a Trinity team that also includes a number of impressive, U.S. recruits in the middle of its lineup. However, Holleran also believes that her top three are in the same elite class as their opponents. She is confident that the team should be able to handle the Bantams in the Quakers' first competitive match since the end of the first semester. "I'm stressing with everyone on the team that they should play their personal best and compete their very hardest every time they step on the court," Holleran said. "Their mission each day is to give their all whenever they are here."