Throwing caution to the wind, Knapp chose not to opt for an operation after tearing two ligaments in her knee. To her, there was only one option: play hurt.

With each passing game, more and more credence is being lent to the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Quakers have a shot at the Ivy title that has been all but handed to the No. 23 Harvard Crimson.

This week the team announced an exciting recruiting class of nine athletes, four of whom are or have been ranked nationally in the top 10 in their respective events.

Standing at barely 5-foot-6, the second shortest player on the Penn women’s basketball team, Meghan McCullough seems harmless. But don’t judge the point guard by first glance.

No Penn player has ever graduated without beating Princeton at the Palestra. In a 82-67 win Monday night, Quakers seniors Tyler Bernardini and Zack Rosen quickly made sure they didn’t become the first.

It means, rather, that this year, the Tigers are going down. Penn is poised to widen the 122-102 all-time lead, and it starts tonight at the Palestra. VIDEO: Penn-Princeton Rivalry

But let’s chew on a little more recent history. None of the current Tigers have ever lost at the Palestra, and Princeton has won five straight overall against the Quakers.

Toughening league competition and Princeton’s quirky academic calendar are the two main factors that brought about this year’s Monday night special at the Palestra.

Sydney Johnson had conquered the Ivy League. Yet three weeks later, he stunned the Tigers faithful when he left for Fairfield. His former teammate, Mitch Henderson, was hired as his replacement.

Losing five of their first six matches, the Quakers’ comeback attempt fell well short in a 23-13 defeat to the No. 24 Pride.

In stark contrast to Friday’s game, the Quakers had just two players in double figures — sophomore Alyssa Baron, who tallied 24 points, and freshman Jackie Kates, who scored 10.

The ovation Penn basketball captain Jess Knapp received was not only for her long-awaited return, but for her toughness in coming back to play with two torn ligaments in her right knee.

To My Fellow Quakers, On behalf of the entire men’s basketball program, I want to thank all of you who have attended our basketball games this season.

While the Quakers now have the upper hand in the national rankings, the Red and Blue are not overlooking the young, but talented Bantams.

Sunday in Hartford, Conn., the Penn men’s squash team will have its shot at tagging the Bantams with another ‘L.’

With tough meets coming almost weekly, Friday’s matchup gives the Quakers an opportunity to break away from their normal meet routine.

When Jess Knapp tore her ACL and MCL, everything changed for the Penn women’s basketball team. But with Knapp’s return to practice this week, despite her unhealed knee, spirits are high once again.