It has been a long preseason for the Penn women's basketball team. Since the moment the team was introduced during Midnight Madness at the Palestra, the Quakers have been all business.
Now the time has arrived. Sunday, the Quakers will face the Northeastern Huskies in a rematch of last season's Jan. 3 contest. Last year, on the Huskies' Solomon Court, the Red and Blue saw a first-half lead evaporate into a 78-69 loss.
Penn hopes it can change its fortunes against Northeastern in its season opener at the Palestra. Aside from having to wait an entire year to get another crack at the Huskies, the Quakers have also been anxiously awaiting their first game after a lengthy preseason with a fair share of optimism.
The most notable addition to the Red and Blue squad is new head coach Patrick Knapp. With the change on the sideline comes a new system, and fans will finally get to see it in action Sunday.
"We're very anxious to start the season," Knapp said. "Five weeks is a long preseason for anybody. You like to start playing games. I don't think I have anything to prove, and I don't think these kids do either.
"It's a new year, it's a new coach, a new system, some new opponents, some people that we need to pay back."
The players are ready to get the season underway as well.
"You can only practice so long before you try to actually go out on the floor and put to work what you've been working on for six or eight weeks, which is what we've been doing," Penn senior point guard Amanda Kammes said. "I think everyone's eager and ready to get after it on Sunday."
However, the Huskies will not be a team to roll over. If the Quakers want to avenge last year's loss, they will need to make several adjustments and account for the new landscape of the team.
"Right now I know we're focusing mostly on rebounding, defense, and I think our offense will come with that," said Penn senior guard Karen Habrukowich, who is the Quakers' leading returning scorer.
Offensive production will be a question mark for the Red and Blue. Gone from last year's Ivy championship squad are former starters Jewel Clark and Mikaelyn Austin, who combined to average 27.5 points per game.
Where the new offense will come from is anybody's guess.
"I'm really not concerned who scores, I'm concerned that we win," Knapp said. "That's it. Somebody else will score. We're not asking anybody to act like the players who graduated. That's impossible. We're asking these players to be better themselves and find their niche in our offense."
Rebounding is a different story for the Quakers. Returning from last season's squad is center Jennifer Fleischer, who finished second in the Ivy League in rebounding with 9.6 boards per game.
She will meet her match against the Huskies. Northeastern senior captain Francesca Vanin led her team with 6.1 rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-3 Fleischer is a physical presence under the basket and will likely battle all afternoon with the 6-1 Vanin.
"The officials usually decide what's going to be physical and not physical," Knapp said. "I think that their overall offensive flow is probably not toward physicality. Northeastern, it's toward movement. And so in one respect we need to move with this kid and block her out."
Finally, the Red and Blue defense will have to contend with Northeastern junior guard Maralene Zwarich, a preseason first-team All-America East selection.
"Overall, I think we are prepared," Kammes said. "I think coach Knapp did a good job with us in the preseason, and I think we're going to have a good first half. Obviously, it's going to be who knows the plays better and who works harder on the court, and that's who is going to win."
