W. Squash prepares to defend nat'l. title

You can call it the squash version of March Madness. Beginning today, 280 female athletes will descend upon Yale's campus to compete in the Howe Cup, a three-day tournament that will crown the national champions for the 2000-2001 season. But only one of the 28 competing teams will be heading to New Haven, Conn., to defend its championship -- the Penn women's squash team. In the first step in their title defense, the Quakers will face host Yale today. In their only meeting of the regular season, the Red and Blue edged out the Elis, 5-4. "I didn't really think about being the [reigning] national champions because it was a whole new year," Penn senior co-captain Lauren Patrizio said earlier this season. "It's been a good season, and most importantly, it's not over yet. We have a solid chance at defending our title and that's exciting." The tournament divides 28 teams into four divisions; the Quakers are in Division A, an eight-team draw in which they could eventually face the top teams in the country -- including rivals Harvard, Princeton and Trinity. "This is the final big event of the season," Penn freshman Quincy Riley said. "It's one of the largest gatherings of squash players in the country. From what the team has said, it's a lot of fun and a lot of intense squash." The Quakers will head in with a record of 5-2 (4-1 record in the Ivy League). The Crimson and the Bantams were the only teams to defeat the Red and Blue this year, and Penn will be looking to exact some revenge. "I'm definitely hoping to avenge our loss to Harvard and eventually Trinity," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "We're going there to show how much we've improved over the season and to play as a really solid team." Experience may prove to be a factor, as the Penn freshmen have never before encountered a team-centered squash tournament where the Quakers will face three opponents in one weekend. "For those of us who have gone to the Howe Cup before, we have an idea of how crazy it is and how intense it is," Penn senior co-captain Rina Borromeo said. "I think it's one of the toughest tournaments to win because every day you're going to have a hard match. It's better when you're used to playing a lot of intense squash." However, Holleran hopes that the newcomers to the team will use the weekend to demonstrate how far they have come in just one season of play. "The freshmen have done a good job in learning to deal with the pressures and stresses of being on a team," Holleran said. "They have progressed a lot and now have a season under their belts. This will be an opportunity to let them show how far they have come." As a team, Penn hopes to look back on the weekend knowing they have played some of their best squash of the season. "If everyone plays better than they've ever played, it will be a successful weekend," Borromeo said. But the Quakers' most important objective of the weekend is far more tangible than team effort. It is in the shape of a championship trophy and it will be given to this year's national team champion. "Penn is considered one of the contenders," Borromeo said. "We're optimistic about the weekend. If we play our best squash and fight really hard we can win."

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