Trinity downs Penn squash

One week after being swept away by Harvard, Penn squash learned the hard way that the Bantams were just as big — and just as deadly.

The No. 10 men’s and No. 3 women’s teams were pushed aside on Saturday by Trinity, 9-0 and 6-3, respectively, a squash powerhouse that boasts the No. 1 men’s and No. 2 women’s teams in the country.

For the second straight week, the men’s team (4-2) failed to win an individual match, a repeat performance of January 12’s loss to Harvard.

Four Quakers were swept outright by their Trinity opponents, but two Penn players very nearly captured upset wins.

Playing third on the ladder, sophomore Augie Frank got off to a hot start, putting Trinity’s Vrishab Kotian in a two-game hole, but he proceeded to drop the next three games. Freshman Rahil Fazelbhoy traded games with Elroy Leong before losing in the final frame, 11-6.

The women’s team (4-2) also dropped its match by the same margin it lost to top-ranked Harvard just last week.

The Red and Blue were swept in only one individual match, but lost five of them by 3-1 margins, including the entire bottom third of the ladder.

But it was not all doom and gloom for Penn, which received a number of surprisingly strong individual performances.

Playing at the top of the ladder, freshman Anaka Alankamony took down Trinity’s Kanzy El Defrawy, 3-1, while freshman Michelle Wong and senior Chloe Blacker added 3-2 and 3-1 wins, respectively.

The Red and Blue won’t have any time to dwell on their back-to-back losses.Drexel makes the short walk to the Ringe Squash Courts on Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 pm.

SEE ALSO

Penn men’s squash heads to Navy for a battle of unbeaten squads

Penn squash teams ready to kick off seasons with different mindsets

Penn men’s squash chooses Tyler Odell as No. 1

Women’s squash is seeking the sophomore surge

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