W. Squash tired after invitational

The Constable Invitational marked the Quakers' fifth match in two weeks. Sometimes too much of a good thing is not good at all. For instance, after playing six matches in two weeks, the members of the No. 1 nationally ranked Penn women's squash team were pretty much squashed out. Instead of resting their sore bodies this past weekend, though, the Quakers traveled to Princeton, N.J., to play in the Constable Invitational. "This weekend, we didn't do as well as we wanted to do," freshman Runa Reta said. "We were all exhausted." The Constable Invitational is an annual tournament where the top college players in the nation compete to help decide the rankings for the Intercollegiates, which will be played in early March. There are four separate flights at the Constable Invitational -- 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0. Approximately 50 players compete in each flight. "I was seeded second in 6.0," Penn senior co-captain Katie Patrick said. "It sucked that I lost in the semifinals. I lost to the same girl who I beat on Wednesday [Meredith Quick of Princeton]. But at least I beat her when it mattered." Patrick attributed her less than stellar play to "poor strategy and physical and mental tiredness." Among those who fared well this weekend were senior co-captain Paige Kollock, senior Eliza Jacobs and Reta. Jacobs turned in the best performance of any Quaker, finishing a strong third in the 3.0 flight. "I was truly surprised about how easy the first two wins were," Jacobs said. "Even in the match in which I lost, I felt I could have won. At that point I was tired, and it showed. I had played five matches this weekend, in addition to staying and watching my teammates play. I was at the courts for eight hours on Saturday." As if Jacobs did not have enough squash these past few weeks, she will travel this weekend to compete in a tournament in Winnipeg, Canada. Kollock was also impressive this weekend as she placed fourth in the 4.0 flight. She was rewarded with a dandy plaque. "My matches were actually important because I played against two girls from Harvard, the team we will play next," Kollock said. "I beat one player, but I lost to Frances Hollan, the girl who I will probably play on February 12." Before the Quakers head to Harvard, however, they will have a significant amount of time to recover from the tiring stretch of the past two weeks. While the Red and Blue may not have performed as well as they would have liked this past weekend, they will be in much better shape when they next meet the Crimson.

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