Little can match the emotion when brother takes on brother. Peelle versus Peelle on Penn's Ringe Squash Court Wednesday night was no exception.
Teammates and brothers, junior Billy Peelle and freshman Sam Peelle, were set to face one another in a challenge match. The match was not just about who will play at a higher seed this weekend when the Quakers face Yale and Brown, it was about "old school bragging rights," according to Sam Peelle.
Since Billy and Sam Peelle are ranked 15th and 16th on the team respectively, their matches this weekend will not count toward the team scores. Nevertheless, this match was hotly contested.
"No one really watches or cares about most challenge matches," sophomore teammate Doug Weeden said. "But when Peelle plays Peelle, practice virtually stops."
This match was not the first time the Peelle brothers have played each other. It was not the hundredth time. They have had a long competitive history since their childhood.
"Growing up I played every sport against my brother," Billy said. "But it was clear that squash was by far the most competitive."
Now that the brothers are teammates, the match has more meaning.
"If I don't win I will feel like a less significant person," Billy said. "Embarrassment doesn't even begin to describe how I will feel."
For Billy, this match is not about losing to his little brother. Sam has a different reason for winning, one that is more personal.
"Growing up, Billy was always looked upon by my parents as the older and wiser child," Sam said. "Coming to Penn and playing on his squash team -- beating him at his own sport. That will make this victory all the sweeter."
Although they are brothers, Billy and Sam's differing childhoods have had a profound effect on their squash games. Billy, the product of a public school education at the Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn., is the more "gritty and determined player" according to Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark.
Sam, on the other hand, left the confines of life in West Hartford, prepping at the prestigious Oxford school. As such, he, "has the more polished game," according to Clark.
"Sam and Billy are as different as night and day," Clark said. "Sam is the quiet one. He is not as boisterous as Billy. Sam has a smoother, free flowing game. Billy plays with more aggression and physical strength and he hates to lose to his little brother."
But there is a soft side to Billy.
"When you play squash you want to destroy your opponent," Billy said. "But then you look over and see its your brother, your own flesh and blood. You feel great you won, but you also feel a loss."
Just before the match in which coach Clark boldly guaranteed, "a Peelle will win," the younger Peelle was feeling more tension than usual.
"I'm a little nervous," Sam said. "The first time we played this year I won, but Billy did beat me last time. This match could really be a thriller."
Sam's prediction turned out to be true. Even before the match, emotions were running high, as Billy asserted his right to serve first without the traditional flip of the coin. Nevertheless Sam drew first blood as he won the first game, 9-3.
In the second game of the best- of-five match, Billy's aggression showed. Several times he got in shouting matches with the umpire and was very physical. He repeatedly pushed and shoved his little brother on the "T" en route to his 9-3 win.
By the third game Billy was more fired up than ever. He yelled at the referee several times and got into a physical post-point altercation with Sam. The importance of this game was clear as the winner would take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match.
Sam won the third game 9-6 and pushed his older brother past the breaking point. After taking a 2-0 lead early in the fourth game, Billy lost five straight points. His emotions exploded when he shattered his racket on the floor and stormed off the courts.
Billy came back minutes later with a new racket, but it didn't help as Sam controlled the final game, winning 9-5 and wrapping up the match with a 3-1 victory.
After the game, Sam simply stated, "the match this Saturday feels almost like an after thought. Right now I am the best Peelle brother, and that is all that matters."
