W. Squash sets sights on first Harvard win

The Quakers can still win the Ivy title if they earn their first-ever win against Harvard and Harvard beats Princeton. While many students across campus are seeing red as a sign of the imminent Valentine's Day holiday, the Penn women's squash team has been seeing red of a different kind looming on the horizon. There will be no love lost between Penn and archnemesis Harvard when the Crimson visit the Ringe Courts this Valentine's Day weekend to battle the Quakers. Last year the Quakers traveled to Cambridge with hopes of conquering their heated rival, but they left defeated and distraught with a closely contested 5-4 loss. While Penn (6-1, 3-1 Ivy League) returns as the same team that lost to Harvard (7-0, 3-0) last year, the same cannot be said for the Crimson. They lost No. 1 player Ivy Pichoda to graduation but quickly replaced her with freshman Margaret Elias. No Penn squash team has ever defeated Harvard in the 22-year rivalry, but the Quakers are banking on the home-court advantage and the experience of this year's team to finally get them over the hump. "I think that you are just more accustomed to your own courts, and you know how the ball bounces on your own courts," coach Demer Holleran said. "It is just an extra issue to compete with when you are away. Plus you have the support of [the] crowd which can never hurt." This is not the first big match of the season for Penn. Two weeks ago the Quakers traveled to Princeton with an undefeated record but came home crushed, owners of a disappointing 7-2 defeat. The way Penn played when faced with its first real challenge of the season does worry some players on the team who are not sure if the Quakers have it in them to raise their game to the next level. "After our last performance [versus Princeton] I think we are all a little nervous. I think that we did not really know how to deal with the possibility that we could have beat these teams that we have never beaten before," co-captain Lindsay Moss said. "We were really nervous, but at the same time we were a little overconfident and let the chance that we might win go to our heads." While the similarities between the Princeton match and this one are undeniable, the Quakers hope that they can take what they learned against the Tigers and walk away Saturday with a different outcome. The team continues to learn from its past losses against its Ivy rivals but Penn can only spend so much time learning before it has to put that knowledge into practice. Penn will be playing the match for more than pride, however, as the Ivy title still has not been decided. If Penn should defeat Harvard and Harvard defeats Princeton, then all three would finish atop the Ivy rankings. With the No. 1 ranking still hanging in the balance, the Quakers are preparing for this match as intensely as ever. "I think that the team is pretty optimistic since the eye-opening Princeton match and we've been working really hard," co-captain Jessica DiMauro said. "Even if that does not make us physically more prepared, we will be mentally more prepared because we'll know how much work we've put in." While the match against Harvard may be first and foremost in the minds of the Quakers hopeful, the team also hopes to send its seniors out with a victory when they don the red and blue for the final time Sunday against the Big Green of Dartmouth (10-2, 3-1). This match carries little added significance for anyone but seniors Amanda Bradford, Dana Lipson, Moss and DiMauro, as many Quakers believe Dartmouth will be an easy victory. "It's sad that it is my last time competing as part of a team. If I ever compete again it will be on my own," Moss said. "But on the other hand, it has been a very long season, and I'm ready for a break." Although Dartmouth brings a very athletic, scrappy team to the table, the talent level of Penn seems to be too much for any amount of Big Green fight to overcome. The thoughts of the Quakers seem to be squarely focused on the Crimson and they are not ready to allow any sentimentality or nostalgia deter them from their ultimate goal. Several seniors did not even realize that Sunday's match would be their last match for Penn. The Quakers have one more chance to salvage the season, and it comes on Saturday afternoon. "I think that the loss to Princeton made us want to work hard and get our shit together for the Harvard match," DiMauro said. "I have no doubt that the team can step up their games to beat Harvard on Saturday."