Memories of a loss decided in the final set of the final match to arch-rival Princeton a year ago still linger in the head of Penn sophomore Todd Lecher.
"If there's one team we get geared up for, it's definitely Princeton," Lecher said. "We have a little bit of bad blood with last year's match and we're definitely looking forward to the match."
The Tigers (9-5) won last year, 4-3, against the Quakers in a match that went down to the wire. There was a difference of opinions between the two squads concerning some of the calls in the final match, which led to a few heated words being exchanged after the contest.
Penn (9-6) has the opportunity to settle the score tomorrow when it travels to No. 66 Princeton. The Quakers are also looking for their first Ivy League victory, after dropping matches to Columbia and Cornell this past weekend.
"With the whole Penn versus Princeton rivalry, we want to beat them very badly," sophomore Anthony Pu said. "I know everyone is very hungry to play, especially after our last [Ivy] match."
The Penn coaching staff is harping on being able to put forth a total team effort in order to be successful tomorrow.
"This is a match where we really need to go out there and take it to them from the first point," assistant coach Joel Berman said. "But it's going to take all six guys in singles and the three doubles. Nobody can take the day off, nobody can take a shot off, every single shot counts, and we have to play every point like it's match point."
With an 0-2 record in the Ivies, a win is a must this weekend if the Quakers hope to stay in the race for a league title.
"They're all key at this point, every Ivy League match," Penn coach Mark Riley said. "We only play seven of them, so every Ivy League match is crucial."
The two teams share five common opponents in Old Dominion, Saint Joseph's, Rutgers, Temple, and Army. The Tigers have defeated each of the five opponents, while the Quakers lost to both Old Dominion and Army.
Penn looks to spoil Princeton's Ivy League opener tomorrow as well as give the Tigers a bitter feeling that will stick with them for the next year.
"As everyone knows, Princeton is one of our biggest rivals," co-captain Andy Kolker said. "It was a really tough match [last year]... we're looking to get some revenge this year."
