No. 1 W. Squash drops Cornell

On paper, the Penn women's squash team appeared as if it would squash Cornell when they met Saturday. Living up to the name of its sport, Penn did just that. The nationally ranked No. 1 Quakers dominated host Cornell, which is ranked No. 5 in the Intercollegiate Squash poll, 7-2. Although the score might indicate otherwise, the feisty play of the Big Red was enough to make the Quakers break a sweat, although a light sweat at that. "Even though we were technically superior and more experienced, the girls from Cornell were fitter than in the past, and they fought harder to pick up every ball," said Helen Bamber, who played at No. 4 for the Quakers and won 3-0. In addition, the Quakers were forced to play on courts that are narrower than the ones on which they are used to practicing. "What made it tougher for us was the fact that Cornell had old, narrow courts," senior Lauren Mann said. "Because of the different dimensions, the angles of the shots were different from what we were used to." Rina Borromeo, however, had no trouble with the angles as she manhandled her opponent 3-0 at No. 3. "I learned squash on narrow courts, so it suited my game well," Borromeo said. Not everyone on the team who competed this weekend came out victorious. Quakers senior co-captains Paige Kollock and Katie Patrick suffered disappointing losses. "I expect better performances from my two co-captains," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "But, they did play the two hardest-fought matches. The players who [Kollock and Patrick] competed against worked at my summer camp this year, and I know that they trained very hard in the offseason. They were extremely focused." Despite the two losses, Holleran was pleased overall with the result. "I liked the attitude and spirit of the team," she said. "We didn't win casually. We worked pretty hard." Holleran was especially pleased with the efforts of Megan Fuller, Christine Eynon and Patti Lin, who all recorded victories. "Each girl played particularly well," Holleran said. "They dominated their opponents and controlled the match. Each player demonstrated good composure." While the Penn men's team was not as fortunate at Cornell, the victorious women's squad enjoyed celebrating its victory with the men's team, as the two teams traveled to Ithaca together to compete. "It was a lot of fun because we were able to bond with the men's team," Borromeo said. "The guys were truly supportive," Bamber said. "We watched each other's matches. It was fun." Up next on the schedule for the Quakers is Franklin and Marshall. F&M;, ranked No. 15 nationally, will probably prove less of a challenge. Holleran, however, believes the team's upcoming schedule provides the Quakers with an opportunity to mix things up a little bit. "I am very happy with this year's schedule. The next few teams we play will allow me to play some of the less experienced players," Holleran said. "Also, we will have plenty of time to prepare for the better teams, which will help us when we have to play them later this year."