M. Squash set to take on the Naval Academy

After kicking off the New Year boldly with wins over both Denison, 6-3, and Wesleyan, 8-1, the Penn's men squash team is back in action today, as they face the formidable Naval Academy.

The Midshipmen, who raced through the early season with five straight wins, recently have fallen on hard times, dropping consecutive matches.

By contrast, the Quakers, who lost their first four games, have made a startling comeback with three consecutive wins.

"We've really been picking it up with our hard work," Penn freshman Richard Repetto said. "We just had two good wins and now we're confident and won't back down."

Repetto, Penn's No.1, helped considerably with the victories at Yale. The first-year -- just one of an array of talented rookies to join the team this season -- has already been a force for the Quakers this year.

The freshmen competitors have added to the strength of the the returning seven players from last year's squad, who finished 10th in the NISRA.

Now that these new recruits have entered the scene, the veteran players are under a greater amount of pressure to perform well. This has certainly helped to intensify the team's level of play as Penn players must excel weekly in order to earn one of the top nine positions for in the next match.

The Quakers will need all the intensity they can get as they go up against the battle-tested Naval Academy.

"The Academy is known for their fitness and rigorous training program," Repetto said. "We will just have to rise to the occasion."

Perhaps a good indicator of how the team will fare today comes from the results of the Denison matches already played earlier this season.

Just days after the Red and Blue's triumph over Denison, Navy squared up against the Big Red as well and lost, 6-3. The Quakers are hoping that this result serves as evidence of Penn's inherent advantage over Navy.

Another crucial match for Penn will occur this Saturday at the Amherst Invitational when they take on Amherst and Williams.

If the Quakers manage to beat both of their opponents this weekend, they will most likely move into the top eight in the national rankings -- Penn's overriding goal for the season.

"We are really building as a program." Repetto said. "In a couple of years hopefully we will be competing for the number one position, the Intercollegiate title."

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