The No. 7 Penn women's squash team will open its 2002-2003 campaign in Lancaster, Pa., tonight.
The Quakers are scheduled to take on Franklin and Marshall at 6:00 p.m.
Penn enters tonight's match after an impressive showing at this past weekend's Ivy League Scrimmages in Princeton, N.J.
The Red and Blue cruised to a convincing 8-1 victory over Brown on Saturday afternoon before falling to No. 2 Yale 6-3.
The Bears had been ranked one spot ahead of the Quakers at No. 6.
Penn's standout 2001-2002 All-American Runa Reta defeated all of the No. 1 players from Harvard, Brown and Yale to earn the individual championship at the Ivy Scrimmage.
Reta was ranked No. 4 before the Ivy Scrimmage but should jump after last weekend's performance.
The Quakers should also move up the rankings after manhandling the Bears.
Penn No. 2 sophomore Linda McNair also had an admirable showing for the Red and Blue, finishing fifth in the first division, just four spots behind Reta.
The first division, in which both Reta and McNair competed, included the best players in the Ivy League.
While the Quakers will enter tonight's match with confidence after their performance over the weekend, Franklin and Marshall will take the court tonight looking to make-up for their showing against Haverford College last weekend, having dropped a 6-3 decision to Haverford on Saturday.
Franklin and Marshall has not received nearly as much preseason recognition as the Quakers.
The Diplomats failed to garner a preseason ranking in the top-15. Also, none of Franklin and Marshall's players were able to crack the top-10 in the College Squash Association's 2002-2003 preseason rankings.
On the other hand, Penn is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, and two members of the Red and Blue have broken into the top-10.
Reta secured a preseason No. 4 ranking, while McNair earned the No. 8 spot.
The Quakers easily dispatched of Franklin and Marshall last season, handing the Diplomats an 8-1 defeat.
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