Penn men's and women's squash fall to rival Princeton at home

The Penn squash program had a rocky start to a long weekend of play, losing both the men’s and women’s matches to Ivy League rival Princeton. 

On Wednesday night, the women’s team lost to No. 4 Princeton, 6-3, despite winning matches in the one, two, and three spots. Afterwards, the men’s team took the court. They lost a hard fought battle to No. 6 Princeton, 5-4. 

The Penn women’s team (5-4, 1-2 Ivy) started off strong at the top of their lineup. However, the lowest-six-ranked members were unable to produce, resulting in a disappointing loss for the Red and Blue. 

Junior Reeham Sedky, undefeated on games played thus far coming into the night, dropped her first game to Princeton (10-0, 3-0 Ivy). However, Sedky showed resiliency and bounced back hard from an 0-1 start to her match, winning the match in the next three consecutive games. 

Despite the fortitude shown by Sedky and her teammates, the Quakers lost to Princeton for the first time at Ringe Courts in 12 years. 

On the men’s side, Penn (8-3, 2-1 Ivy) and Princeton (8-1, 3-0) had three matches go the full five games. Predictive of the outcome of these matches, Princeton won two of these matches while the Quakers only won one. 

“Princeton is a really good team. They are getting better and better each year,” men’s coach Gilly Lane said. “The boys fought hard, we just fell a little bit short today.”

At the one spot, freshman Andrew Douglas, ranked No. 161 in the world, battled against Princeton’s Youssef Ibrahim, ranked No. 147 in the world. This match was physical and hard fought throughout, resulting in a win for Ibrahim in five games.

Even in the tough loss for the Red and Blue, there were some bright spots for the Quakers. 

“I was really proud of Marwan at the end,” Lane said. “He was playing in a situation that was really hard where the match was already over and he still fought out there.”

Additionally, the Quakers got continued success from their nine spot. Junior Max Reed won his match in three straight games. On the season, Reed is now 9-1, consistently generating production for the men’s team throughout the lineup.  

Moving forwards, the Penn men’s and women’s teams have a quick turn around for a long weekend of Ivy League play. 

On Saturday, the two teams play Dartmouth in Hanover. 

“We are going to come back tomorrow and get focused on that [match],” Lane said. “The great thing is it’s a quick turn around, so we’re really going to be able to get back on the horse. We’re still in the race.”

Then, the following day, the Quakers teams have another match against Harvard, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 for women and men respectively. This weekend will be crucial for the Quakers’ future in their quest for the top of the Ivy League.