For the Penn women's basketball team, this weekend represents the culmination of everything the team has been working for since November, from the long practices to the grueling travel schedule.
There is an Ivy title at stake this weekend at the Palestra, as second-place Dartmouth and two-time defending league champion Harvard square off against the Quakers (16-9, 10-2 Ivy) in the regular season's final weekend.
Penn coach Kelly Greenberg believes that it will be the mental aspects of the game that will determine whether or not the Quakers' season will continue into the NCAA Tournament.
"We need to be aggressive," she said. "Focus and aggressiveness, that's gonna be our goal. In practice [this week], we're not gonna say, 'OK we're tired from the [Princeton] game.' We're doing full-court drills and scrimmaging, and we're getting after it.
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A win tonight against the Big Green (15-9, 8-3) would mean the league title outright for the Quakers. Even with a loss, Penn would have a chance to clinch at least a tie for the championship when it faces the Crimson (13-11, 6-5) tomorrow night.
Despite its five league losses, Harvard is still a dangerous team, led by the dynamic duo of senior Hana Peljto and junior Reka Cserny. It took a 41-4 advantage in bench points for the Quakers to escape Boston with a 73-72 win earlier in the season.
Still, the Quakers insist that they have not even begun to think about the Crimson, and won't until after the Dartmouth game.
"Right now, just as always, it's about the first game of the weekend," Greenberg said. "Friday night, and it kind of falls into place, that's the game we need to be more focused on right now, and that's the only game we're talking about."
The Quakers have a lot of things going for them this weekend, including Ivy League Player of the Year candidate senior Jewel Clark. If Penn is victorious this weekend, it would be hard not to give the award to Clark, who, despite a brilliant career, has been overshadowed to a certain extent by Peljto. Not only does Clark have a chance to lead her team to the national stage this weekend, she can finish off her career in style, at home against an old rival.
The Red and Blue have been shooting from the outside at a torrid pace recently. In addition to the three-point shooting exploits of starters Karen Habrukowich, Mikaelyn Austin and Clark, Greenberg can turn to the Ivy League's most capable core of bench players. So far, the Quakers' league foes have had very little answer for Penn's bench, which contains sharpshooters Joey Rhoads, Maria DiDonato and a resurgent Cat Makarewich.
Penn is counting on a show of support from its home fans. Although spring break will be in full force when classes end this afternoon, the Quakers expect a raucous home court advantage to put them over the top.
But the Red and Blue are not without their own flaws. The team will try to end its streak of poor starts to games that have driven Greenberg, starting point guard Amanda Kammes and others crazy over the past few weeks. While the Quakers can overwhelm teams with their aggressive style of defense, they must temper that with their own brand of smart basketball on the offensive end, something Greenberg was critical of in Tuesday's win at Princeton.
Lastly, Penn must overcome its rebounding deficiencies.
"We're working hard [on the boards]," Makarewich said. "It's not a mark of us not working. We keep getting better."
Though the Quakers' rebounding ability has been questioned, no one questions their spirit. This is a team that plays hard for its coaches. It's a squad that will play with emotion to extend the careers of its seniors, Austin and Clark. And it's a group that has seen its name alone atop the Ivy League standings for the past four weeks. It's too late to turn back now.
