While the Penn men's basketball team was touring Spain, the women were also traveling across Europe in August.
Kelly Greenberg's team spent time in London, Milan, Pisa, Florence and Rome, and although there was sightseeing in some of Europe's most historic cities, there were also five basketball games to play.
In a whirlwind span of eight days, the Quakers played an English team, three Italian teams and a Swiss team, while taking in historic buildings, different cultures and plenty of good food.
And winning all five games didn't hurt the team's morale either.
Penn first played against the England Select team in London, and Clark led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the 74-62 win.
"They were very physical," Clark said. "We weren't prepared for that. But that kind of set the tone for the rest of the tour."
There was also time for leisure in England's capital, and the team took full advantage of their time in the shadow of Big Ben.
From London, the team flew to Milan and boarded a bus for Como, a picturesque lake town in the Alps. Although the 78-43 result was never in doubt, with five players scoring 10 or more points, the team was somewhat affected by the language-barrier between the two sides.
"That was interesting," Clark said. "Because we didn't have to worry about [them] trying to figure out our plays. But on the flip side, we really had to focus on defense and offense to make sure we were able to play solid basketball."
The team also played a game while in Milan against Bellinzona from Switzerland. Despite the considerable amount of traveling the team had been doing, the Quakers cruised to a 75-56 victory. Once again, five Penn players were in double figures, including sophomore Jennifer Fleischer, who posted 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The team headed back to Pisa -- about an hour and a half away by bus -- and took down Valdarno, 108-60, in a game highlighted by the fact that the ball was smaller than the one the team used in the three previous games.
"It felt like a child-sized basketball because the other games we played with a men's ball," Clark said. "It was a little awkward, but we made the adjustment."
Clark made the adjustment well, leading Penn with 20 points.
Penn's last game came at the final stop of their tour -- Rome. The Quakers saw the famous Forum and the Sistine Chapel in the ancient city before dispatching of Virtus Viterbo, 73-62, to complete a sweep of its European opposition.
Clark was surprised to find that Viterbo was comprised largely of players who in the United States would still be in high school -- including one who had just turned 17.
"They do something that's kind of like an exchange program," Clark said. "The girls play pro basketball, but they live away from home."
