With six losses in its first six games - and with only six more to go before the Ivy League opener against Princeton - the women's basketball team has been to hell and back.
But despite their demoralizing start, the Quakers are confident that they will make the necessary improvements before heading into league play.
"We need to get our momentum going right here, right now," senior guard Anca Popovici said. "It starts [today], and we're hungry. We want a win. We've been so close, it's our time now."
This weekend the Quakers (0-6) will have two chances for their first 2008-09 win against unfamiliar opponents. Penn will face Navy (4-5) for the first time in 11 years today at the Palestra, then travel to Hamilton, N.Y., to meet Colgate (2-6) for the first time in 21 years on Sunday.
Penn coach Pat Knapp said Navy runs a motion offense with effective screens. The Midshipmen have three capable outside threats, with senior Whitney Davidson leading the way at 42.1 percent.
Navy also relies on the inside presence of sophomore center Cassie Consedine, who leads the team with 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and may challenge Penn's lack of depth inside.
The Quakers' best chance yet to wash away the bitter taste of defeat may come at Colgate, which went 1-29 last season while scoring only 44.7 points pe- r game. Knapp said the Raiders will likely rely more on their inside game, though sophomore guard Sami Kozlowski is their only player to average double figures in scoring.
"We will mix up our defenses against both teams, as well as continue to advance our press," Knapp said.
For the first time this year, Penn utilized that full-court press extensively against Lafayette on Wednesday and reaped the rewards by forcing 22 turnovers.
"Because it worked well with Lafayette, we'll probably do it some more," senior guard Kelly Scott said. "It all has to do with personnel and who we can press."
Looking for more experience and better chemistry off the bench, Knapp also used Popovici - who had started in 61 consecutive games - as a reserve against Lafayette.
"All that matters is when you're in the game, you give it your all," Popovici said. "It doesn't make a difference to me."
In Popovici's place, sophomore Erin Power earned her first collegiate start and logged a team-high 39 minutes. Her nine rebounds and five assists both led the team, but she only scored two points.
"She did a great job balancing our offense, making the extra pass, rebounding," Knapp said. "We'd like her to score a little more, but I think that will come."
Although Penn is still winless, three of those losses came by a combined 12 points, and Knapp believes his team is close to getting that first 'W.'
"I said [on Wednesday] that I felt we were going to go on a nice streak, and I still believe that," he said. "But it starts with the first game, and we're going to be up for" Navy.
