Penn women's basketball tied with Princeton for first place in Ivy preseason poll

Once again, Penn is projected to share the top spot with a familiar foe. 

In last year’s regular season, the Red and Blue tied with Princeton for the top spot in the Ancient Eight. This year’s Ivy League preseason poll has placed both the Quakers and the Tigers in first place.

Both teams received 125 points, and Penn’s seven first-place votes fell just short of Princeton’s 10. Harvard and Yale rounded out the top four, with 95 and 90 points, respectively. Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Brown filled out the second half of the rankings.

For the past seven years, the Quakers have been selected for either the first or second place spot in the poll.

In last season's poll, Penn was predicted to come in second with 107 points and two first-place votes. Though the Quakers tied for first with Princeton during the 2018-19 regular season, they succumbed to the Tigers in the Ivy Tournament final.

Penn and Princeton’s rivalry has taken center stage in the Ivy Tournament over the past few years. The two top teams have faced off in the finals of all three tournaments thus far.

One of three returning starters for Penn this year, junior center Eleah Parker is expected to once again lead the Quakers on defense. Last year, Parker was the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and unanimously made the League's first team. The senior duo of Phoebe Sterba and Kendall Grasela will also undoubtedly play a crucial role for the Quakers.

The Red and Blue have had seven straight postseason appearances and will hope to increase this number to eight this season. Ivy League play will commence for the Quakers on Jan. 11, when they open against Princeton for the 15th straight season.

The Quakers boast a record of six straight seasons with more than 20 wins. They will play a total of 12 home games this season. 

Penn’s season opens on Nov. 9 at the Palestra, where they will face Siena.