Four in a row for M. Squash

In a match that ran late into the evening, the Penn men's squash team handed the Naval Academy a 6-3 loss on Wednesday night. The win marked four straight for the Quakers and brings their record to 4-4.

Upon arriving in Annapolis, Md., the Quakers were greeted by a raucous crowd of Midshipmen. The playing environment was unlike any the Quakers had experienced all year.

"It was a really tough atmosphere -- small, tight courts -- and they packed in their fans like sardines," said Penn junior co-captain Elan Levy, who lost a hard-fought match in five games at the No. 3 position.

Freshman sensation Rich Repetto remained undefeated on the year at the No. 1 position, upping his overall record to 6-0.

Repetto handily defeated high school friend and Navy junior Edson Greenwood in three straight games. Both Repetto and Greenwood attended Chestnut Hill Academy in nearby Chestnut Hill, Pa.

The Quakers were spurred to victory by senior No. 4 Roberto Kriete, who won a five-game thriller, and senior co-captain John Griffin, who also won in five at the No. 5 spot.

Penn's other three points came at the seven, eight and nine positions. Freshmen Andrew Crockett and Jonathan Katz, along with sophomore Matt Vergare, won their respective matches in three games.

With Wednesday's victory, the Quakers are now 2-1 against the Midshipmen in their past three meetings.

Penn lost to Navy, 6-3, during the regular season last season, in a match Vergare termed "a fluke." But the Quakers avenged that with an 8-1 win in the NCAA Tournament.

Wednesday night's match helped prepare the Quakers for this upcoming weekend. Penn will travel to Amherst, Mass., to take on Amherst and Williams tomorrow.

The Red and Blue recognize the significance of this weekend's matches.

"Winning both would officially put us in the top eight nationally, which is our goal for the season," Repetto said.

"We expect to win. We want to win," Levy said. "We're going up for two wins and that's it."

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