M. Squash wins two at home

Out of chaos, there came order Saturday for the Penn men's squash team. With no fewer than six collegiate squash teams and numerous parents filling the Ringe Squash Courts to the brim, the No. 8 Quakers (4-2, 0-2 Ivy) swept No. 17 Amherst, 9-0, in the morning and then sent No. 10 Bowdoin packing by the same score in the afternoon. "Bowdoin and Amherst did not expect to get their asses kicked like that," senior co-captain Sam Miller said. Miller's coach was slightly more tempered in his enthusiasm. "We exceeded expectations," Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clarke said. "We dominated. I thought that we were capable [of winning] but to do it so emphatically was really a credit to the team," he added. Penn's dominance started at the top. Richard Repetto, No. 1 on Penn's ladder, outscored his opponents by a combined total of 54-23. "We did feel that we're better than those teams, and we really showed it today," Repetto said. But he added that "we didn't expect to beat them that decisively." For the second straight match, freshman Colby Emerson was No. 2 on the Penn ladder. This time around, Emerson rewarded his coach's faith in him, winning both of his matches without conceding a game. "I've elevated my game a little bit and I feel like I'm playing the best I've played here at Penn so far," Emerson said. Emerson's matches were not without tension, however. He defeated Amherst's Michael Strong, 9-7, 9-7, 10-8, and dispatched Bowdoin's Lawrence Delasotta, 10-8, 9-5, 9-2. Emerson remained calm throughout the day "You can't think like that," he said of those in the bleachers at Molloy Court who wondered if Emerson would be stretched the full five games by his opponents. "You've always got to be thinking, 'I've got to finish this guy off as fast as I can.'" The Red and Blue had to deal with as much commotion off the court as on it, as the Amherst men, Bowdoin men and women, and George Washington women all were present at Ringe on Saturday for matches against Penn's two teams. "I guess I have some practice with that in my fourth year here," Miller said. "But it can get a little distracting." "When I talk to the guys," Thorpe-Clarke said, "I try to instill some confidence in their game plans, in themselves and for them to keep positive when they're out there." Penn's opponents were gracious in defeat despite being shut out by the Red and Blue. "Penn's definitely a top program in the country," Bowdoin No. 7 D.J. MacLeod said. "[They] just came up with the goods today." The Quakers also enjoyed the benefits of home-court advantage once again. "My parents came down this weekend, so they were watching," Miller said. "It's good to win. It's even nicer to win at home when people you know are there to watch." "It's nice to not have to travel and do that whole thing," Emerson said. Up next for Penn is Williams, ranked No. 11 in the latest SquashTalk.com poll. "For [us to go to] the nationals at the end of the year, we have to beat Williams," Miller said. The Ephs will visit Ringe Squash Courts Thursday night.

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