While the Penn women's squash team will be on the road at Trinity this Sunday, one player, sophomore Rhea Bhandare, will be going home again.
Bhandare, a member of Trinity's 2003 national championship team, transferred to Penn's College of Arts and Sciences this season in search of a stronger academic program.
"I love Trinity. I love the squash team," she said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better in terms of squash. But academically, I was just looking for a more rigorous program."
Trinity coach Wendy Bartlett, who according to Bhandare was very supportive in the transfer process, had only good things to say about her former No. 7 player -- Penn's current No. 4.
"She's a delightful person," Bartlett said. "She really is. She really, really cared a lot about her academics."
In fact, her academic ties were so strong that her professors used to come and watch her home matches.
Bhandare notices a big difference between her former coach and Penn coach Jim Martel, stemming mostly from the academic strength of the schools.
"Trinity is pretty much known for squash," she said. "It was more disciplined. Our practice sessions would go for a longer time."
On the other hand, Martel gives his players more scheduling leeway, knowing he must shorten practices based on Penn's high priority for academics.
While playing against her former coach may add incentive, Bhandare is most excited about playing against her former teammates.
The feeling is mutual, according to Trinity junior Siu Lynn Leong, Bhandare's good friend and currently the nation's third-ranked player.
"I'm looking forward to meeting up with her again," Leong said. "She's been a great friend."
Bhandare was, and still is, very close to many of the Bantams' players, a fact that can be attributed to Trinity's mostly international roster. She came to America from Bombay, India, and will face a team made up of two of her countrywomen as well as others from England and Colombia as well as Leong, who is from Malaysia.
"We used to hang out much more as a team, because half of the team was international," Bhandare said. "It was a lot of fun. We used to understand each other really well."
Bhandare is able to play in Sunday's match since squash's transfer rules do not match those of basketball and football. The NCAA requires that its players sit out a season if they transfer to a school in the same division or move up to a higher division. Squash, however, is not governed by the NCAA, and therefore the rule does not apply.
While Bhandare is happy to be able to play, she worries about the competition, as Trinity (5-1) is still the nation's top-ranked program, despite losing, 5-4, to Yale Jan 21.
"Trinity will probably be tougher than Yale," Bhandare said. "I think their top six are just amazing."
Penn (8-3, 3-3 Ivy) will be led by junior Linda McNair, freshman Paula Pearson and senior Daphna Wegner at the top of the ladder in the last match of the season.
The Quakers' league record puts them in fourth place in the Ivies, and they will use Sunday's non-league matchup to prepare for their ultimate goal, next weekend's Howe Cup in New Haven, Conn.
The eight-team Howe Cup will determine the team national championship, with Individuals to follow at Saint Lawrence University on the first weekend of March.
