The Senior Weekend script could not have been written any worse for the role of Rebecca Ho.

Facing two of the conference's top players, Marine Piriou of Northwestern and Illinois' Jenny McGaffigan, Ho fell twice.

Her team, limping toward the conclusion of a long, hard season, also fell twice, including a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Illini.

All of this on the heels of her worst season as a Nittany Lion. Plagued by injuries and the ferocious competition that comes with playing in the No. 1 singles position, Ho's record suffered and her confidence dropped. To make things worse, the team she helped lead to its first NCAA tournament last season also struggled, winning only one Big Ten match.

But in the end, despite the setbacks of this weekend and her entire senior season, Ho refuses to feel pity for herself.

"I have no regrets," Ho said. "I know I've done everything I've needed to do this season. I never gave up."

Ho's Penn State career spans four years and two coaches. She has been in the thick of the battle from the word go at Penn State, forced into the top position as a freshman and never playing below the second spot.

The transition from her sophomore to junior year was remarkable, turning her 1-9 Big Ten record into a sterling 9-1 mark and All-Big Ten honors.

That same season, Ho and former Lion Pilar Montgomery guided Penn State to monumental wins over Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana on the road to the NCAAs.

And now, following this week's Big Ten tournament in Indiana, it's over.

For Penn State head coach Buffy Baker, the thought of Ho leaving is difficult.

"It hasn't set in as much as it will at Big Ten's," Baker said.

"For Rebecca, its all a matter of continuing to believe. She's still got some matches left."

Ho's departure will also be tough on her teammates.

"It's really sad," junior Judy Wang said.

"I've known her now for three years, and there have been a lot of laughs and a lot of good times. She's also been a great leader. Rebecca's added so much to the team."

This season, as opposed to Ho's brightest at Penn State, has been an uphill battle. Playing on an ankle that went under the knife in the fall, Ho struggled as she battled the opposition's top player each week.

"Sometimes it got very frustrating playing the top players all of the time," Ho said.

"It gets to be very draining at times. The players are so good and the margin for error is so small."

That margin was too narrow this year for Ho as the losses continued to mount.

But she continued to fight and play hard and smart and go after every point like it was life and death even though she knew her Penn State legacy was secure.

That's what endeared her to her teammates and coaches and that's what made her a top player.

On the wall of the Indoor Tennis Center, each Lion player has their own sheet of paper with goals and reminders written down.

Ho's sheet has all of the typical things; play smart, don't let up, go hard every point. But also there, distinguishing it from the rest is a small reminder.

"Three weeks left, be sure to enjoy it," it reads.

So, has she?

"I've enjoyed it," Ho said. "It's sad to be playing on these courts for the last time, I was pretty emotional. But now that I'm done, I can look back and say I tried as hard as I can."

At the end of the day, in the wake of the Illinois loss, Ho made plans to meet up with her parents later, who were in town to see her play for the first time in two years.

It was an uplifting way to end what had been a dreary day.

Starting Thursday, when the Lions take the court at the Big Ten tournament, Ho will have the opportunity to end a dreary season the right way and put a fitting cap on an outstanding career.