Inexperience and a season opener proved to be an unstable combination for the Quakers - one that blew up at just the wrong time. Up by three with 10 minutes to go, the men's lacrosse team looked primed for an upset win over No. 18 Drexel. But a bevy of mistakes let the Dragons score the game's final four goals to pull off a 9-8 comeback victory.

For the Quakers, two heads worked better than one over the weekend. The women's tennis team split six singles matches against Maryland, relying on a 2-1 doubles victory for the overall win, 4-3. Fourteenth-ranked doubles partners Julia Koulbitskaya and Ekaterina Kosminskaya downed their Terrapins' counterparts, 8-4.

HANOVER, N.H. - They enjoyed it. Good thing, because it didn't last. On the eve of their Saturday clunker against Harvard, the Quakers went to Leede Arena with all the answers and walked away with an 88-62 rout of Dartmouth. And even if the Quakers hadn't shot a better percentage than the Big Green from the foul line and out-rebounded them by 20, they would have had little trouble.

It wasn't pretty, but the women's lacrosse team got back to its winning ways of 2007. In the first game of the 2008 campaign yesterday, the No. 6 Quakers beat Drexel on its home turf, 6-5, in a back-and-forth affair. Aside from a one-minute stretch in the second half when Penn was up 6-4, neither team took a lead of more than one goal.

Columbia lost its aura of invincibility last night at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association championship in New York as it barely edged out a win over the Quakers at Fencing's first postseason meet. Only two bouts stood between Penn and the six-weapon team championship last night.

BOSTON - After two straight blowout victories, it finally looked like the Quakers were beginning to find their groove. Then, they went to Boston. Thanks to a first-half offensive outburst, Harvard stopped Penn 89-79 Saturday night. Coming in, the Quakers were still very much a factor in the Ivy League race.

The Quakers got robbed by their next door neighbors. For the majority of its season opener against No. 18 Drexel, the Penn men's lacrosse team maintained a two-goal lead. The Quakers were even up 8-5 midway through the fourth quarter before the Dragons turned it around to beat Penn 9-8 at Franklin Field.

PRINCETON, N.J. - The women's squash team had been here before. Down 4-2 to Princeton, the Quakers were one loss away from losing to their rivals. This time, however, there was no comeback in store. In a match that proved again just how close the two teams are, the Tigers got the wins it needed to put Penn away.

HANOVER, N.H. I didn't see the Dartmouth scouting report, but I doubt Joe Gill's name was on it. The senior guard's participation is usually limited to a couple of dunks in warm-ups and the ritual "frisking" of the captain during the lineup introduction.

In an unusual ending to their season, the Quakers won a tough meet against Lehigh in front of a boisterous Palestra crowd before heading to Princeton for a dominating victory. In the first dual meet of the day, the Quakers and Mountain Hawks battled back and forth throughout the match.

When the Quakers traveled to Dartmouth and Harvard earlier this season, they held second-half leads before losing in two encouraging performances. This time, there was no silver lining. Penn suffered ugly 62-47 and 76-54 losses to the Big Green and Crimson, respectively.

Midway through the conference slate, Dartmouth is in a familiar spot. The Big Green sport a 1-7 record that puts them at the bottom of the barrel, a place they have seen more than their fair share of in recent years. But when Penn goes into Leede Arena tonight, it's well-aware that this isn't the same Dartmouth the Quakers have beaten 22 times in a row.

When Penn hosted Harvard earlier this season, Brian Grandieri rescued his team from defeat by scoring a clutch four points in the final minutes. But the lasting memory from Penn's 73-69 victory was not Grandieri's heroics. Instead, it was the first half tussle between Penn's Justin Reilly and Harvard's Evan Harris that led to Reilly's exit with a gash in his head.

How's this for a wacky end to a regular season? After a 1 p.m. home match against Lehigh on Sunday, the No. 25 Penn Wrestling team will turn around and prepare for a 6 p.m. tilt against Princeton - in New Jersey. "It is what it is," coach Zeke Jones said.

The Quakers won't have to wait long to get a shot at impressing the NCAA tournament committee. They can do that tomorrow in their season opener at home against Drexel. While the ACC and Ivy League -- conferences traditionally strong in lacrosse - comprise the majority of the top-10 national rankings, other schools not known for their athletic programs fill the spots from 10 to 20.

As the women's lacrosse season starts up, the Quakers will have one thing on their minds. But before they can return to the Final Four and vie for the national title, they'll have to take some baby steps. It starts this Sunday, when the team will venture a few blocks north to take on Drexel in its season-opener.

Coming off their first win in 16 games, the Quakers finally have some confidence heading into a weekend series. "There are positive thoughts," coach Pat Knapp said. "That's where it all starts." They hope to build on that and reverse their fortunes from earlier this season when they host Dartmouth (8-14, 5-3 Ivy) and Harvard (13-9, 6-2).