Looking talented on paper will not satisfy the Penn women's squash team this year.
The Quakers took their abundance of talent and their No. 4 College Squash Association ranking into the Ivy Scrimmages at Yale this weekend and walked away as the victors.
"We're pleased with the result," coach Jack Wyant said. "We think that it demonstrates the strength of the program and gives us a reason to be optimistic about the season."
On the way to that victory, the team upset the defending postseason champion and second-ranked Elis, along with preseason No. 1 Princeton, both by a 5-4 score.
The team feels that winning those two matches should lead to a rise in the rankings.
"I think we definitely proved [the No. 4 ranking] wrong," senior co-captain Paula Pearson said. "It was very exciting for us to win this weekend, but we're just intent on keeping it up."
The team looks fit to do just that. Pearson and fellow senior co-captain Radhika Ahluwalia highlight a Quakers squad that did not lose a single starter from last year. Both of them, along with sophomore Alisha Turner, were honored as All-Americans for the 2005-06 season.
Not only does the Red and Blue return a team that finished fifth in the postseason tournament last year, but it has added four of the top 11 recruits in the nation. Highlighting the freshman class are Kristen Lange and Sydney Scott, ranked second and fourth, respectively, in the national U-19 division. Those freshmen have already shown their ability, as they played in the Nos. 1 and 2 slots at the Ivy Scrimmage.
In order for a successful season, the freshmen as well as the returning players know they have to play well.
"What we saw this weekend is that all the other teams are stacked at every position, so everybody needs to be on their A-game," Ahluwalia says.
Labeling the Quakers' schedule as "tough" would be an understatement. They will face every other school ranked in the top nine, a group that includes all seven Ivy League squads (Columbia does not field a team).
The biggest matches of the schedule will be against the four perennially elite squash teams. Those foes include reigning Ivy League champion No. 5 Harvard, regular-season champion No. 3 Trinity and postseason victor Yale. The opponent highest on the team's radar, though, is archrival and preseason favorite, Princeton.
Winning the Ivy Scrimmages should prove to be a huge momentum boost for the Red and Blue as it debuts Saturday against Cornell. Penn knows, however, the importance of working hard and staying focused.
"As we've seen in the past, the Ivy Scrimmage is a good indication of what's to come, but you can't be overly confident and assume you're going to win," junior Lauralynn Drury said.
Still, Wyant remains wary of making any significant predictions.
"My goal is for us to improve every day, for us to get better," Wyant said. "If we continue to do that, then we might win some trophies; we might win some awards."
