Media Credit: Fred David/DP File Photo Jack Sullivan lost to Cornell two years ago, a fate familiar to many Quakers. The Big Red have had their number this year and enter as the favorites. Tomorrow's match may crown the Ivy champ. [Click to enlarge]

The Quakers seek revenge today and pray for an upset tomorrow.

This afternoon, the No. 28 Quakers (11-4) will take the mat against aspiring rival Columbia. Last year the Lions upset the then-No. 16 ranked Quakers by a score of 22-12.

But this time, the Lions won't have home-mat advantage, a factor that some Quakers believe played a role in last season's loss.

"Every year one of their top goals is to beat Penn - what they do is get a lot of fans crammed right up on the mat," coach Zeke Jones said.

He added that while Columbia hypes the rivalry, it doesn't mean much to Penn.

The Red and Blue will welcome home one of the most storied wrestlers in the program's history, but this time he'll be in the visiting corner. Last August, the Lions hired two-time NCAA National Champion and former Quakers competitor Matt Valenti to their coaching staff.

"It'll be weird wrestling Columbia tomorrow with Valenti coaching," Rollie Peterkin said.

"Matt's a competitor who wants to win, and I have no doubt that [Columbia] will be ready for us," Jones said.

Both teams will head in to today's match "dinged" and "bruised-up" according to Jones.

"Columbia's just decimated … they've got a lot of their good guys out with injury," Jones said.

On Penn's side, Rob Hitschler is questionable for today's match. But he has no doubt that he'll be ready for the Big Red.

"I'm definitely wrestling on Saturday," Hitschler said.

Today's most pivotal matches will be at 125 pounds, when Peterkin takes on Columbia's Brandon Kinney, and at 149 pounds, where the Quakers' Cesar Grajales faces off against the Lion's Anthony Constantino.

"Their guys are pretty tough," Peterkin said of today's opponents.

On Saturday, the Quakers continue their Ivy weekend as they square off against long-time rival No. 12 Cornell.

Should the Quakers best an ailing Columbia, Saturday's match will all but crown this season's Ivy League champion.

"Right now our goal is to be Ivy league champions - and Penn is our biggest hurdle," Cornell assistant coach Cory Cooperman said.

But Cornell, like its Ivy brethren, is dealing with injuries.

"The guys that are banged up are going to have to step up and wrestle," Cooperman said.

In all likelihood, Cornell will be missing a starter.

Cooperman added that he expects Saturday's victor will be determined by bonus points, which are achieved through majors, tech falls and pins.

"There's not a lot of undecided matches. Where we're strong, they're weak" and vice versa, Cooperman said.

Jones thinks that if there is going to be a pivotal match on Saturday, it will be at 174 pounds.

"Lior Zamir can beat Cornell's All-American" Steve Anceravage, Jones said.

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