PHILADELPHIA - If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best.

The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team will do just that, squaring up against the nation's No. 1 team and defending national champion Notre Dame on Monday, Nov. 12. After starting 1-0 for the first time since 2011, the Quakers hope to slow down a potent attack from the Fighting Irish on the road after hosting the squad from South Bend at The Palestra last season. 

In the Series vs. Notre Dame: Fifth Meeting
The Fighting Irish hold a 4-0 lead in the all-time series against Penn, with three of the four meetings coming within the last seven years. The teams have traded home-and-homes, as the Quakers head to South Bend in a return from last year's matchup at The Palestra.

Last December, Penn held the soon-to-be national champions to their second-lowest point total of and forced 22 turnovers, putting together a valiant effort in the 66-54 loss. 

Catching the Game: ACC Network Extra
Watch Monday's game on the ACC Network Extra through the Watch ESPN app. In-game Twitter updates and video can be found at @PennWBB. A complete recap, box score and highlights can be found on PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of the game.

Last Time Out: W, 58-51 at Siena (Nov. 10, 2018)
   -  The University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team tallied a gutty win to start the season, defeating Siena on the road, 58-51. The win was the first for the Quakers in a season opener since 2011, and the first on the road to start the year since 2007.
   -  Junior Phoebe Sterba led the way with a career-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, to help fend off an energized attack from the Saints. Eleah Parker joined her in double figures with 12, while sophomore guard Michae Jones featured a career day in nearly every category, including a team-high six assists. 

Scouting the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame reached the peak of the collegiate women's basketball mountain last season, going 35-3 en route to capturing the 2018 NCAA National Championship trophy. The Fighting Irish return four starters and their top-four scorers from a season ago, making them an obvious choice for the No. 1 team in the country according to both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls. Notre Dame began the season on Friday against a fellow Ivy League opponent, dismantling Harvard inside Purcell Pavilion, 103-58. 

Against the Atlantic Coast Conference
Coach McLaughlin is 1-8 all-time against the ACC, with four of his nine contests coming against Notre Dame. The Quakers tallied their first win against the conference the first day of 2014, knocking off Miami (Fla.) 67-66 in Coral Gables. 

Uncharted Waters
Monday's matchup will mark a first for Penn Women's Basketball. The Quakers have never before faced the top team in the country. In addition to that mark, Penn has never before beaten a ranked team. 

Penn And The Power Six
Penn has traditionally played a challenging non-conference schedule since Mike McLaughlin took the helm in 2009-10. In fact, the Quakers have played five non-conference top-15 teams in the last seven seasons (#3 Notre Dame in 2011-12, #5 Notre Dame in 2013-14, #4 Tennessee 2014-15, #14 Duke in 2015-16, #3 Notre Dame in 2017-18). 

That trend is set to continue this season, with a matchup scheduled against the defending national champion and preseason No. 1 team Notre Dame on Monday, Nov. 12. 

Among non-league foes, Penn has scheduled its share of teams from the power six conferences. En route to the Ivy title in 2013-14, the Quakers earned their first-ever win over an ACC opponent with a dramatic 67-66 win at Miami (Fla). Other power conference opponents in McLaughlin's tenure include Northwestern, Iowa State, Virginia, and Duke as well as the annual Big 5 matchups with Villanova and Temple.

Hot Shooting Sterba
Junior Phoebe Sterba was certainly a bright spot for the Quakers in their season opener at Siena. The Cleveland native went for a career-high 16 points in 30 minutes of action, pacing Penn with four makes from 3-point land. 

Mid-Major Respect
The Quakers enter the year ranked 21st in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. Penn is one of two Ivy League teams represented in the poll (Princeton), and is set to square off against five teams currently receiving votes (Princeton, Drexel, Maine, Navy and Stetson). 

#RoadToIvyMadness
The Ivy League is in its third season with a conference tournament, inviting the regular season's top-four finishers to Ivy Madness. The Quakers have advanced to the championship game in each of the first two editions of the competition, winning the trophy in 2017 at The Palestra. This season, Ivy Madness is set for March 16-17, 2019 at Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn.