M. Squash set for nat'l power

The No. 10 nationally ranked Penn men's squash team is in for a showdown with emerging national power Denison in New Haven this Saturday.

The Big Red have risen to the upper echelon of collegiate squash in recent years, ascending from a No. 33 national ranking in 1997 to last season's high of No. 7 in the country.

This season, Denison -- currently No. 9 in the NIRSA rankings -- is a top-heavy team, making the lower matches key for the Quakers.

"We are going to have to win at the bottom of the ladder," Penn junior Sam Miller said.

Tomorrow's order will include five freshmen -- Rich Repetto, Chris Miller, Sean Lambert, Drew Crockett and Jonathan Katz -- most of whom will comprise the bottom order. For some of these Quakers, this match will be their first.

No stranger to competition, the first-year Repetto has made a name for himself in his opening campaign, earning the No. 10 slot in the NIRSA individual rankings in the most recent poll.

In addition to Repetto, the remainder of the freshmen will be competing, as regulars Dan Rottenberg and Roberto Kriete did not return from break in time to be able to participate this weekend.

"We have a deep team this year," sophomore Matt Vergare said. "We are really counting on the bottom guys."

In arguably the first big match of the season, Penn has a chance to beat a top 10 team, a victory that would almost assure the Quakers of moving up in the national rankings.

The Quakers are geared up for the match after returning from break early and spending time in a rigorous training routine.

While the preparation was intended to ready the team for the next few months of competition, including a meet with Navy on Wednesday, Penn's battle with Denison is the strategically most important.

"We are expecting a tough match," Lambert said. "It just gives us more incentive to do our best."

After the pivotal match with the Big Red, the Quakers compete against Wesleyan later tomorrow in a less challenging contest.

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