M. Squash whitewashes weekend foes

The Penn men's squash team doubled its satisfaction this weekend by blanking both Amherst and Rochester 9-0 at the Ringe Courts on Saturday. These two convincing wins not only put the Quakers back on the winning track after a disappointing loss against Navy last week but also evened their record at 4-4. "I was extremely pleased with the outcome of both matches," senior co-captain Will Ruthrauff said. "To beat Amherst 9-0 after they had just swept Rochester makes quite a statement about the depth and talent of our team." The Red and Blue's first win came against Amherst, which now sports a 2-4 record. Although the Quakers at the bottom of the lineup breezed through their matches by posting 3-0 wins, Penn's top three battled to the end before pulling out 3-2 victories. Sophomore Sam Miller, who plays at the No. 2 position, and junior Roberto Kriete, who fills the No. 3 spot, both posted come-from-behind wins against their opponents. Miller, who returned after missing the previous two matches, was thoroughly satisfied with the team's overall play. "We knew Amherst was good, but the top and bottom of the lineup came through, which shows how much depth we have," Miller said. "Going into it, we knew they'd be tough, and to win 9-0 is a huge confidence boost. This was one of the best days of the season.... Everyone came through." Senior co-captain Peter Withstandley, who plays No. 1 for the Quakers, overcame a very tough opponent in Amherst's Addison West during a fiercely contested and emotional battle. "That win was great for me," Withstandley said. "I've played Addison throughout high school and never have beaten him before." Although the Red and Blue had already clinched the victory before Withstandley's match, the team cheered on their leader enthusiastically, realizing just how important the bout was to him. After the senior's dramatic victory, the Quakers looked to continue their momentum against Rochester. The match against Rochester took less time and less effort from the Red and Blue, who won all 27 games and effectively took the buzz out of the Yellowjackets. "This is the type of play that we've been working toward all season," Miller said. "We are really playing to our potential. We knew that we weren't going to necessarily have to work as hard as in some other matches, but mentally we were where we wanted to be." The Red and Blue's success this weekend can also be attributed to the rigorous conditioning it has been subjected to by Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark. "We came back a week before classes and did a lot of conditioning, which definitely paid off during the Rochester match," Ruthrauff said. The return of Kriete, who studied abroad last semester, also strengthens the team significantly. "I'm not sure I've ever seen the team look as good as we do now," Ruthrauff said. "Getting Roberto back into the lineup adds a lot to the depth of the team. Also, the level of play is consistently good from the top to the bottom of the ladder." Although this weekend's dominating performance was a positive sign for the Quakers, the Red and Blue still have business to take care of next weekend. Penn will square off against Bowdoin and Colby in another double-header on Saturday. "Everything was fantastic [this past weekend]," Withstandley said. "We were gunning to win and we won all 18 matches. "But we have two more next weekend and we have to go into those the same way."

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