W. Squash travels to Princeton

Not many athletes can say that they've won a championship at both the collegiate and professional levels of play. Not many players-turned-coaches can say that they've found success on both the court and the sidelines. But the Penn women's squash coach Demer Holleran can. She has won at literally every level of play both as an individual and as part of a team. Her impressive list of championship titles include three at the intercollegiate level, four in juniors, 28 from the United States Squash Racquets Association national championships, and two intercollegiate team titles -- one as a player and one as a coach. And that's just her trophy case. Among the awards she has garnered are four All-American honors, 1999-2000 National Coach of the Year, and the President's Cup -- given by the USSRA to those who make "substantial contributions to the game of Squash Racquets." It is a good thing Holleran is on the Quakers' side now, because it wasn't always that way -- all of her intercollegiate success as a player came while playing at Princeton. History, however, brought her back to Penn. "I grew up in Philadelphia and my father went to Penn Law, so coming back here to coach was pretty natural," Holleran said. Her success as a player has been an asset to her coaching style, as more than one women's squash athlete noted Holleran's ability to understand the athlete's experience. "She knows what it takes to be at the top from the coach's and player's perspective," Penn sophomore Runa Reta said. "I feel fortunate to play under someone who has been so successful in squash. The best thing about her is she's extremely helpful both on and off the court." When Holleran took charge of the team, the Quakers were definitely not in the elite ranks they have come to know in the past few seasons. "Demer has really brought this program together," Penn senior co-captain Lauren Patrizio said. "She took a team that was consistently ranked below the top three and broke through that barrier. While it meant a lot to me as a player to win the championship last season, I know it meant a lot to Demer to accomplish that as a coach." Holleran came to coaching through her love of the sport and with a goal of building a winning team. "I like the idea of working with teams to work to achieve a common goal and all of the aspects that go into winning," Holleran said. "What I enjoy the most is getting my players to play their best squash. It feels like they're responding and that's extremely rewarding as a coach." Holleran's team will be put to the test today when Penn travels to Princeton to face Holleran's alma mater. The Tigers were ranked third in the national preseason polls, one spot behind Penn. "I certainly remember the tough matches we tried to get up for [at Princeton] and Penn was one of them," Holleran said. "And now when we face them, I'm really invested in the outcome because I know the other side." The Tigers currently have the two-time intercollegiate champion, Julia Beaver, playing at the No. 1 position, to lead a deep roster that is one of the best in collegiate squash. "We're definitely getting ready for a battle," Reta said. "It will be a good chance for me to get revenge [against Beaver]. I have very little to lose while she has a lot more at stake." Freshman Daphna Wegner will return to play at the No. 2 position for the Red and Blue after missing the Constable Invitational last weekend with a hamstring injury. "I rested for a week or so, and I've been practicing lightly with Demer," Wegner said. "It's a big match -- I'm going there to win, not just to play." Last season's match saw Penn emerge with an extremely close, 5-4 victory, in one of the strongest challenges to the Quakers' season-long undefeated record. "Last year it ended up going our way, but [Princeton] definitely could have won," Patrizio said. "Now we're very different teams. We both graduated some people from our lineups but we have a chance of winning at every single spot. It's just going to come down to who's playing the best squash they can."

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