M. Squash | From outclassed to 'classless'

Squash is thought of as a gentleman's game, associated with while polo shirts and Northeastern prep schools.

But there was very little gentlemanly behavior on display when Penn split a weekend doubleheader at Ringe Courts yesterday.

Ed Cerullo, playing as Brown's No. 1, had multiple outbursts in the match against Penn's Lee Rosen in one of the weekend's more entertaining matches.

Cerullo openly argued calls, uttered obscenities and yelled directly at Rosen during a point.

Rosen maintained his composure on the court for the most part, and came away with the 3-0 victory. Penn lost 5-4 to Yale but swept the Bears 9-0.

"It's tough when you play a guy like that," Rosen said. "Someone willing to do anything to win."

Rosen called Cerullo's tactics "dirty" and "classless," referring to his tendency to move out of the server's box right as Rosen started his serving motion as well as the many lets he tried to have called.

Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark said he was pleased with the way Rosen responded.

"It's up to the player to stay focused . and not get caught up in antics," the coach said afterward.

Penn entered the match against Brown hungry for its first victory of the season after losing to the Bulldogs on Saturday.

"The narrow loss [to Yale] is motivation enough," Thorpe-Clark said before the match.

The Quakers came out strong, winning the first three individual matches, 3-0.

It was smooth sailing from there as Penn (1-3, 1-2 Ivy) won all nine. Only two matches went beyond three games and Penn players won those 3-1.

"It's a good win for us, especially against another Ivy," Thorpe-Clark said.

Porter Drake had one of the day's more nail-biting wins for Penn, prevailing in four games after trailing 8-2 in the second game and already a game down.

"I was just trying to find my rhythm," the freshman said. The game two win was "a big momentum swing" in Drake's first victory of the young season.

Saturday's showdown with Yale (2-0, 1-0) was a prime opportunity for the Quakers to rebound from its early-season woes as the starting nine played together for the first time.

The Quakers led 2-0 early in the match as Spencer Kern and Joey Raho won the first two individual matches. The Bulldogs responded, though, winning five of the final seven matches to leave Ringe victorious.

"We played well today," Rosen said. "Sometimes the ball just rolls the wrong way."

The Red and Blue did have some positives in the loss, as three of Penn's top four - including Rosen - won their matches against the favored Bulldogs.

Thorpe-Clark was pleased with the team's performance against a formidable opponent.

"We really turned a corner today," he said.

Penn will get a chance to prove that when it takes on Franklin & Marshall in a midweek tie.

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