M. Squash earns a weekend Ivy split

Penn rebounded from its first loss of the season to sin at Brown The Penn men's squash team's plans to continue their winning ways hit a snag this weekend as a 7-2 victory over Brown was preceded by a 7-2 loss to Yale -- the team's first 'L' of the season. But rather than view the past weekend as a disappointment, members of the team see it instead as a necessary learning experience. The Quakers (3-1, 2-1 Ivy League) headed to Yale (1-0, 1-0 Ivy) on Saturday, knowing they faced a tough opponent yet hoping for an upset victory. All, however, did not go as well as the Red and Blue hoped. "The match was tough against Yale because we had to get up at 6:30 in the morning and pretty much played right off the bus," Quaker captain Andrew Hopkins said. "That really impeded our performance." The long drive was only one factor the Quakers had to overcome. This weekend was the first time the entire team, from No.1 to No. 10, traveled together to an away match. Coach Jim Masland commented that because this was the full team's first away match of the season, they had not yet gotten used to "the rigors of traveling. It's just a level of comfort that they need to get to." Although the Quakers wound up losing to Yale, the match was a lot closer and more competitive than the final score reveals. "Shams [Mistry], our No. 1 player, played an excellent match, as did Jamie White, and both won their respective matches," Masland said. "I think Peter Withstandley and Chuck [Braff] both played very tough matches, as did some of the guys lower down. It was just that Yale is a solid team from number one to nine." Although the loss Saturday was a disappointment, the team was able to rebound the next day. Playing at Brown (0-2, 0-2 Ivy), the Quakers came away with a victory, soundly defeating the Bears 7-2. The team attributes part of the stark turnaround to a desire to prove themselves after the loss against the Elis. "The match against Brown could easily have been 8-1 or 9-0," sophomore Jamie White said. "We played really well up and down the ladder. Everyone was really focused because everyone wanted revenge for our loss against Yale." Vindication, however, was not the only reason the Quakers left Brown victorious. After the team lost to Yale, the Red and Blue sat down to have a talk about the upcoming match. "We talked that night once we were in Providence," said Masland. "I think, as a result, everyone came out much more aggressively at the start of each match and at the start of each game. That made such a difference." While this weekend was a chance for all of the team to learn and gain experience, it was even more so for the three Quaker freshman in the top nine. Although all three lost their matches against Yale, each came back and won on Sunday against Brown. Masland called their victories "a testament to their resilience." He further said that he found it "impressive that they rebounded and beat Brown as decisively as they did." Even the women's squash coach, Demer Holleran, recognized the importance of the team's ability to turn around and beat Brown. "This was a really great victory for the team. They were flat the day before in the loss to Yale," Holleran said. "[Against Brown] they really put it together, focused in and created the win. It was a lot of progress for them."