Freshman Elizabeth Proudfit said she's "heard about the competitiveness," senior Deb Flandermeyer called it "high intensity" and senior Erin Maher termed it "mentally draining."

They're not talking about reading period. The 1993 Ivy League season begins tonight.

The Crimson plays back-to-back league games this weekend, hosting Princeton tonight and Pennsylvania on Saturday.

"Princeton is talented and deep," Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "They have strong inside and outside games, and we have to be sharp if we want to win."

Along with Brown and Harvard, Princeton has been cited as a top contender for the Ivy Championship this year.

Outstanding Tigers inside include senior center Karen Andrews and junior forward Tina Smith.

At the Navy Classic, Andrews won all-tournament honors with 23 points and 22 rebounds in two games, and Smith leads the Ancient Eight in field goal percentage with a remarkable. 587.

Catch these two on an off day, however, and Princeton shoots nothing but blanks. The Tigers are a combined 17-for-74 in their last two contests.

Defense to the Rescue

Tiger defense has been coming to the rescue, led by guards Robyn Algeria--who scrapped a career-high eight steals last week against Drake--and Laura Leacy.

"[Smith and Andrews] are both tough defenders. They really like to push people around," said Flandermeyer, who is more than well acquainted with physical play inside the paint. "Princeton's kind of pressure defense has historically given us trouble."

Princeton may look great on paper, but the Crimson should not intimidated by statistics.

Somehow, wins over Niagara, Drexel, Lehigh and Fairleigh Dickinson don't seem all that impressive.

Nevertheless, tonight's contest is well-anticipated.

"We consider Princeton one of our biggest rivals," Flandermeyer said.

Scoreless Quakers

Tomorrow night's game against Penn won't have nearly the intensity of the Princeton game. But Penn's winless record (0-5), the Crimson refuses to get cocky.

"Penn is a very young, very athletic, very scrappy team," said Delaney Smith.

After Crimson forward Tammy Butler, Penn boasts the Ancient Eight's top rebounders. Quaker sophomores Shelly Dieterle and Natasha Rezek are two and three, with 10.7 and 10.6 rebounds per game respectively.

Rezek, a 6'1" center, also grabbed 22 boards and scored 26 points in Penn's last two contests.

Outside, Penn has sophomore guard Shelly Bowers, who connected on five treys against Tulane. Bowers is also third in the Ivies in assists per game (4.8).

Although Penn graduated two top guards, "they're a very young and dangerous kind of team," Flandermeyer said.

"They had a tougher schedule than Princeton," Delaney Smith said. "Penn played a few Big 5 schools."

Valuable Preseason

As for the Crimson, its preseason provided everything Delaney Smith hoped it would.

"We came out of each game learning something, even though our record didn't indicate how strong we are," Delaney Smith said. "I was pleased with the team's play, and this weekend, we're going to wipe the slate clean and get ready for the Ivies."

And Maher agrees, talking like the co-captain she is. "We fared pretty well in pre-season, and we just have to concentrate on putting it all together. We're just going to take this weekend one game at a time," Maher said.