Quakers down Diplomats without top two

By Brandon Moyse

Staff Writer

bmoyse@sas.upenn.edu

For the women's squash team, anything less than a 9-0 victory over Franklin & Marshall would have been a disappointment.

No worries, though, as the No. 1 Quakers (5-0, 2-0 Ivy) delivered last night. Just like last year, they not only defeated F&M; (4-4) 9-0, but all the games went 3-0 in Penn's favor.

Coming into the match, the Red and Blue knew they'd be without some of their top starters.

Running concurrently to the face-off with the Diplomats is a multi-day professional tournament in Berwyn, Pa.- the Liberty Bell Open - and freshmen Sydney Scott, Britt Hebden and Kristen Lange, along with sophomore Tara Chawla, participated there instead.

Scott, Lange and Chawla all won their matches yesterday - the first time anybody from Penn has done so - and will be playing in the main draw today.

Despite the fact that it is a professional tournament, they are careful not to jeopardize their amateur status.

Before the trip to Lancaster, Quakers coach Jack Wyant thought this would be an opportunity to play some non-regulars, and they didn't let him down. He admitted that the team has been stretched thin recently, but the backups have done a fine job filling in.

"I think they did well," he said. "It was great to get some people in the lineup, outside of the top nine this year, and they all performed very well."

While he believes that freshman Allie Friedman distinguished herself year, senior team captain Paula Pearson said "it was great to have Chloe Wynne" back, a junior who was studying abroad last year.

That depth is one reason why the Quakers are setting the pace nationwide right now: Their top two starters are freshmen, while proven, experienced All-Americans play behind.

Depth, however, is something the Diplomats lack. Their No. 1 player last year, Freddy McNeely, transferred out before the season, leaving behind a young and inexperienced team with no top individual players.

F&M; has had a rocky season thus far, and has stumbled as of late. Prior to yesterday's match, it lost two of its last three, the win being a bumpy 6-3 victory over Colgate.

But they put up a solid front against the current national leaders - as Pearson said "they definitely put forth a good effort."

The heat will be turned up significantly for Penn soon, as the Quakers' next three opponents are in the top five in the country. Trinity, Princeton, and Harvard will all be gunning for No. 1 in the coming matches.

Pearson and the rest of the team aren't worried that F&M; may have been inadequate preparation for what will follow.

For practice, the Quakers hold "challenge matches" featuring intra-team play. And there's no better preparation than playing against the No. 1 lineup in the country.

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