Helal in Reta's way for national crown

As a team, Penn women's squash has fared incredibly well this season. But this weekend the Quakers will have the opportunity to shine individually. Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday four Penn players will vie for the title of top squash player in the nation at Intercollegiates. Co-captain Runa Reta along with sophomores Linda McNair and Rohini Gupta and freshman Lorin Riley were selected to compete based on their dual-meet records from this past season. Co-captain Dafna Wegner will not be able to compete due to a back injury. For Reta, the only senior on the team, this will be the last intercollegiate competition of her career. Both she and her teammates have high hopes for her final performance. "It will be her last time playing, and I think she's going to do really well," Riley said. "It's going to be a showdown between her and [reigning champion] Amina Helal. Runa wasn't playing to the best of her ability when she lost to her earlier this season. When she does play her best squash, I'm confident that she can easily beat Helal. " Reta also cited Helal as her biggest challenge in the quest for the championship, but commented that she would have to contend with some of the other top college squash players in the nation, as well. "It's going to be tough," Reta said. "I'm seeded second, and I would say that the top five seeds have all been pretty close this season. A lot of people have beaten one another throughout the season." Helal and Reta are two such people. Early in the season when the Quakers faced Trinity in a dual meet, Reta handily defeated No. 1 seed Helal in just three games. However the two met again at the Constable Tournament and Helal was the eventual winner. Throughout this season and in the past two weeks in particular Reta has been preparing mentally and physically for what seems like an inevitable matchup. Against Helal. For the title. "I feel pretty good," Reta said. "I've been training the entire season for this and I feel pretty confident right now." As for her rematch with Helal, "I just know that when I beat her, I was attacking the ball a lot and keeping her deep. When I lost I wasn't doing those things. I know how to do all of those things I just need to put them into play," Reta said. Though the Quakers have not competed for the past two weeks, they are anything but rusty. Their last team competition of the season was the Howe Cup -- the national intercollegiate team championships. There the Quakers took fourth place, and Reta was honored with the prestigious Betty Richey award, given annually to the women's squash player that best exemplifies the ideals of squash in her love of and devotion to the game. Since then, Reta and her teammates have been honing their skills in preparation for Intercollegiates. "After the Howe Cup we all took a few days off," Riley said. "This week we've just been focusing on specific parts of our game and doing a lot of drills. I would say that I've worked harder this week than all season. We've been getting a lot of one-on-one attention from the coach. This week has been the most beneficial." While Reta is looking to clinch the No. 1 spot, teammate Riley is simply working toward a decent performance. "I'm really nervous," Riley said. "I was placed into the A group, which is the top 32 players, where I'm seeded No. 32, so I'll be playing Helal. If I can score one point I will be absolutely content, and two would be a miracle. "But Runa definitely has the ability to beat her and I have a feeling that she's going to pull through. We're all rooting for her."

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