In their three seasons suiting up for the Red and Blue, Carrie Biemer and the three other seniors on the Penn basketball team have gone undefeated.
In season openers, that is.
"We have a good record going into first games," the senior forward said. "We'll come out with a lot of energy, and we'll see if we can go 4-0."
If tonight's game at Lehigh - which is also starting its season tonight - is anything like its three predecessors, it should be a nail-biter. The Quakers won those games by a combined six points.
Last year, Biemer scored the winning shot against Elon with five seconds remaining, to give the Quakers a two-point victory.
In 2006, now-departed Maggie Burgess did it with 15 seconds left on the clock to edge Lehigh by a point.
And three years ago, two missed Lehigh free throws sent the game into overtime, where Penn ultimately prevailed by three.
Both the Mountain Hawks and the Quakers are expected to look much like their respective squads from last season.
Lehigh graduated three seniors, but none of its three freshmen are expected to play a major role. While Penn had only one senior on its 2007-08 roster, it will also be without senior Maggie Burgess and junior Amy Donovan, both of whom are no longer playing for Pat Knapp's squad.
But the Quakers are quick to point out that this season's bunch is rejuvenated - partly because of the absence of Burgess and partly because Knapp feels that his guards are his team's strength.
That's why he plans to start four of them, deploying only one forward.
"We know it's going to be a tight game and we have to work hard, but we are a different team this year," senior forward Katarina Lackner said. "With the mentality of the four guards, it's a different game plan."
For Biemer, the competition is even more familiar. Mountain Hawks senior Haly Crites and Biemer played against each other in high school.
Crites is the only Lehigh player who started all of the team's 31 games last year. Biemer, the Quakers' undisputed star, led her team in scoring last year with 13.9 points per game.
The Mountain Hawks are predicted to finish second in the Patriot League after ending last year. They owned the fifth best defense in the nation, allowing 52.9 points per game.
While Knapp wouldn't talk about his specific game plan, it is clear that for the Quakers to continue their winning streak in season openers, they must find a way to increase their offensive.
"Our guards give us multiple scoring options, so we should have a stronger scoring team," Knapp said.
When it comes time to take the court tonight, there will be nothing left to say. Knapp hopes his team can be all action and no talk.
"It's not the time for any sterling commentary by me," Knapp said. "It's going to be all about our fundamentals and our concepts."
