M. Squash ready for first test

In every squash season there is a pivotal weekend -- a set of matches which can either create momentum or discourage coaches and players. For the Penn men's squash team, that weekend is this one. When the Quakers face Bowdoin and Amherst tomorrow, they will face their first true test of the new year. Penn enters the weekend with a two-game winning streak, after a 5-4 victory against No. 9 Brown and an 8-1 dismantling of 16th-ranked Navy. Although the No. 7 Quakers will be the favorite against Bowdoin and Amherst -- ranked 11th and 16th, respectively -- they are taking nothing for granted. "Since we are the higher ranked team, it is important not to be complacent," Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clarke said. "Bowdoin and Amherst are very competitive teams. We are in a position where a loss will hurt us quite a lot." Indeed, the Quakers, who insist that they deserve a higher ranking, plan to use Saturday's matches to prove themselves to the nation. A loss in either match would surely disrupt any of the Quakers' aspirations. "After a close match last year, we need a decisive win against Amherst," Thorpe-Clarke said. "It will show us how much we have improved, but we are not taking them lightly." "They have the potential to be close matches," junior Matt Vergare said. "They are shooting to beat us. They would love to get a win off us." This weekend's matches will feature the extra excitement of a burgeoning rivalry between NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) and Ivy League schools in squash. "We want to prove that the Ivy League is a better brand of squash," sophomore William Peele said. "We want to show them that we play at a higher level." "We should win, and we want to send a message," sophomore John Katz said. While his players were adamant about the importance of the rivalry between the two conferences, Thorpe-Clarke kept the weekend matches in perspective. "They just want to come here and get a win," he said. Thorpe-Clarke attributed much of his team's success to depth, which could be a deciding factor tomorrow. "Our second half is strong," Thorpe-Clarke said. "It's great to have a guy like Rich [Repetto] in the No.1 spot, but our depth really helps us win because every match counts the same." In addition to depth, stamina could factor into the weekend's result, as the Quakers will have to play back to back matches at 10 a.m and noon. "This is not one to slip up on," Thorpe Clarke said.

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