W. Squash set for nation's best

The Penn women's squash team is set to take a place as one of the top five of nationally-ranked collegiate squash teams, should the Quakers be as successful in the coming weeks as they have been in recent play. Currently, the Red and Blue hold the No. 6 ranking in the country. The Quakers (8-2, 2-1 Ivy) will have the opportunity to improve their standing as they face Princeton, Harvard and Dartmouth -- all currently ranked in the top five -- in their next three matches. First on the schedule is No. 4 Princeton, who the Quakers will play tonight at 7 p.m. on the Jadwin Squash Courts in Princeton, N.J. Penn is returning to Princeton for the second time this week, after competing in last weekend's Constable Tournament. The tournament proved to be good practice for the Quakers who went head-to-head with eight Princeton players. "They all played in divisions with girls of similar levels of play," Penn coach Jim Martel said. "Everyone had tough matches and got used to playing solid, competitive games. After Williams and the Constable Tournament, they should be ready to go." The Quakers have won their past four contests against Williams, Bowdoin, George Washington and Franklin and Marshall, while the Tigers have not won a match since before winter break. Attempting to rebound from a 9-0 loss to No. 1 Trinity on Jan. 11 and looking for a win, the Tigers will undoubtedly provide the Quakers with some tough competition. "We haven't yet played a match where it's been this evenly paired up," Martel said. "It will be really good to see what we're made of. Each and every match is important, and there should be some interesting matches all the way down the ladder." This match may be one of the most important for the Quakers all season. If they can win against the Tigers, the Red and Blue will be in prime position not only to improve their ranking, but also to tackle perennial Ivy League powerhouses Dartmouth and Harvard. Included in the Princeton lineup are Canadian junior champion Ruchika Kumar -- who will be playing at No. 1 -- as well as All-Americans Annie Rein-Weston, and Patricia Gadsden who will be playing at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. "Kumar is the Canadian national champion so [Penn senior co-captain and No. 1 Runa Reta] will have her hands full with her," Martel said. "Rein-Weston and Gadsden are also two to watch. We match up really well all the way through [the ladder.] There will be some really tight matches, and we should see some really good squash tomorrow. "But I think we're going to beat them."

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