M. Squash whitewashed by host Princeton

The Penn men's squash team fell 9-0 to the third-ranked Tigers without the services of quakers No. 3 Chuck Braff. PRINCETON, N.J. -- The third time's the charm, or so the saying goes. However, the adage did not hold true last night, as for the third consecutive year in coach Jim Masland's career, the Penn men's squash team was defeated by Princeton. Princeton, led by two all-Americans, Peter Yik and Amir Give'on, simply overpowered the Quakers. By the end of the night, the score read a very disappointing 9-0, in favor of the Tigers. The loss to the Tigers (8-0, 3-0 Ivy League) was all the more upsetting due to the fact that No. 3 Chuck Braff was unable to make the road trip due to prior academic commitments. "Having Chuck there would have been a huge help," sophomore Will Ruthrauff said. "His absence affected our No. 3 through [No.] 9 players, which made a big difference." Braff's absence was most distinctly felt by the lower half of the Quakers (4-2,2-2) lineup. In particular, freshman Roberto Kriete lost a hard-fought match 3-2, succumbing in the fifth game only after experiencing cramping in his legs. With Braff at the match, Kriete along with five other Quakers would have played an opponent of lesser skill. One player Braff's absence did not affect was sophomore Jamie White, who debuted as the Quakers' No. 1. White climbed up the team ladder from No. 3 after beating former No. 1 Shams Mistry in a challenge match Tuesday. Both White and Mistry suffered 3-0 defeats at the hands of the Tigers. After losing the first game of his match 10-15, Mistry lost his focus and quickly dropped his other two games. He was easily defeated by Give'on in the remaining two games 5-15, 5-15. White, on the other hand, battled hard while coming up short against Peter Yik. Yik's speed and well-placed shots simply overpowered White, who lost 7-15, 7-15, 10-15. "Today I played one of the best college players in the country," White said. "The match simply showed me just how hard I'm going to have to work in order to grow." Though the match did not end with the result that the Quakers were hoping for, it did come at the perfect time for the Red and Blue. Penn must now gear up for a weekend that brings two of the team's toughest matches of the season. On Sunday, while most of the nation sits down to watch the Super Bowl, the Quakers head off to Hartford, Conn., to meet both Trinity and Williams. "Playing Princeton was great for us right now because it really gave us a sense of where we are as a team," sophomore Alex Hurst said. "This was a really good learning experience for all of us as we head into our two upcoming matches." Trinity (8-0), currently the second-ranked squash program in the country, is led by two first-team All Americans, juniors Marcus Cowie and Preston Quick. Cowie is also the former national junior singles champion. Williams is currently at the coveted No. 8 spot, one above the ninth-ranked Quakers. "Trinity, I think, is going to be a chance to kind of see what mistakes we've been making, and what our strengths are," Penn captain Andrew Hopkins said. "You are going to be playing someone who is probably the best in the nation at his number and it is an opportunity to go in with nothing to lose." While winning the Trinity match would be an incredible accomplishment, the Quakers are looking towards the much more realistic goal of defeating Williams. A win against Williams would move the Quakers closer to their long-term goal of finishing among the nation's top eight teams. "Trinity will be exactly how we're expecting it to be, a chance to get loose and plan our game before the more important match against Williams," Hopkins said. "Williams is the most important match of the season so far. "This is the type of match that is a must win in order to secure the No. 8 spot."