Even without top three, W. Squash blanks F

Last night, the Penn women's squash team started the season on a convincing note, demolishing Franklin & Marshall by the count of 9-0. The match was never in doubt as every Quaker won her match in three straight sets. "F&M; was quite weak," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "They were not as strong as I anticipated they would be. We beat them more convincingly then I would have expected." The Quakers (1-0) were not in their normal lineup, as sophomore Lindsay Moss played the No. 1 seed followed by captain Elissa Helt at No. 2. The Quakers' regular top three players -- Jessica DiMauro, Katherine Patrick and Dana Lipson -- sat out against F&M; (4-2) so they could remain eligible for an invitational tournament later this month. The players were not missed. Due to Diplomats No. 1 seed Katherine MacDonald's sudden illness, Moss ended up playing their No. 2 seed, Katharine Stickney. Moss cruised to the victory, posting scores of 9-0, 9-2, 9-0. Helt easily took care of Nadia Novik 9-7, 9-3, 9-4. "I thought it was good practice," Moss said. "I got to work on my shots. Demer tried to get us nervous for this match. I thought it was going to be very scary." Both Helt and Moss felt that the match gave the team good preparation for the rest of the season. They thought it was important for the team to start out with a victory. Holleran was pleased with the teams play, especially freshman Paige Kollock. Although playing a weaker opponent, Kollock played solidly, not allowing her opponent, Elisabeth White, to score a single point. Freshmen Patricia Lin, Eliza Jacobs, Lauren Mann and Keelin Nelson all helped the team by notching victories in their first college matches. "They are really good group of freshmen." Helt said. "They just need more match experience. A match like this is good for them." After the Quakers' first victory, Holleran hopes the team will start to focus on its important weekend against two Ivy League opponents, Yale and Brown. "I think we can do very well," Helt said. "It just depends on how we play each match. We want to win everything. Each match is very important. We can't look ahead to far. Every match counts."

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