Novelty. Positive momentum. Redemption. These terms characterize the mood of the members of the Penn women's fencing team as the Quakers prepare to take on Rutgers and Haverford Saturday in their first meet of the regular season. Penn will open the season on familiar turf, in Weightman Gym. For a Quakers team comprised mostly of underclassmen -- the Penn Invitational is a chance to couple great potential with collegiate experience. "I want everyone to see some exposure to collegiate matches," Penn fencing coach Dave Micahnik said. "We have freshmen starting in several positions, and we need them to step up and perform." After a long preseason and an intense winter camp, the Quakers have seen much improvement, in the performance of both their newcomers and the team's more experienced members. "I've seen phenomenal growth from some of these girls," Penn junior co-captain Mindy Nguyen said. "Everyone knows how much this meet means, and everyone is taking it very seriously." Nguyen herself has spent the preseason adjusting to a major change -- she switched from epee to sabre this year to add depth to the sabre squad. "I'd like to go out and give a really strong showing and hopefully get a couple of bouts for the team," Nguyen said. "But all I really want is to encourage my girls to do really well." The meet is also an opportunity to show the rest of the league that the Quakers intend to make a splash this season, despite their relative lack of experience. "We definitely want to go out strong," sophomore epeeist Kim Linton said. "We want to let everyone know that we're here and that we're going to keep on winning." While the Quakers expect to win both matches, Rutgers should provide a tough challenge. Last year, the Red and Blue lost to the Scarlet Knights in a heartbreaker that came down to the final bout -- a bout Linton lost. "She fought a good match, but her strategy was off," Micahnik said. "However, she is a year older now. I trust her completely and she is going to have the anchor bout [this Saturday]." With the spirit of novelty and revenge, and a bit of pressure to set a good tone for the season, all of the ingredients are present for what promises to be an intriguing meet this Saturday. "The most important thing I want the fencers to have is a positive attitude," Micahnik said. "This is Penn. We win. You must feel that way."
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