M. Squash still undefeated

It did not matter that the Quakers had not played a match since winter break. Nor did it matter that they were playing a Top 10 team on courts of unfamiliar dimensions. The Penn men's squash team, ranked No. 3 in the nation, remained undefeated by disposing of No. 9 Franklin and Marshall, 7-2, last night. "It was a very tough match," said Ed Vincent, a senior playing in the eighth position. "This is a really big rivalry, and it's always nice to beat these guys." Penn (5-0) won the first four matches easily, only dropping a single game among them. The next five proved more difficult as the Quakers won only three more matches. Penn co-captain Andrew Braff, playing in the No. 1 slot, lost, 15-6, 15-6, 15-8, in a tough match to Vineet Asthana, who coach Edwards called "an extremely good player." "Some people had tough days, others played well, but overall we played well as a team and everyone came ready to play," Braff said. Freshman Shams Minstry, playing for the first time in the No. 2 spot after spending much of the season at No. 1, easily defeated the Diplomats' Jess Berline, 15-5, 15-7, 15-11. Penn seniors Craig Rappaport, Sanjay Nayar, Carl Sibbern, Ed Gross and Vincent, along with junior Leif Berquist, also won their respective matches. The win was even more impressive considering the Quakers had to play on hardball courts after practicing on softball courts. The Diplomats have no softball courts, which are two-and-a-half feet wider than the older hardball courts. Penn was forced to play on its own hardball courts because Franklin & Marshall had no experience on the newer courts. Penn is relatively experienced with six seniors among its top nine players. Coach Ned Edwards hopes they will provide leadership in a season of high expectations. The Quakers have already climbed to the No. 3 spot in the coach's poll after being ranked fifth last year. This was the first match after returning from a trip to England over winter break. "This next month is when the whole season happens," said Edwards, referring to upcoming matches against No. 1 Harvard and No. 2 Princeton. "Penn is really strong," Franklin and Marshall coach John Stallings added. "They deserve the No. 3 ranking."