After dropping its first two road matches of the season, the Penn men's squash team heads to Annapolis, Md., looking for a win, a feat made tougher by the extreme partisanship of the hostile Midshipmen crowd.
Although the Quakers have yet to win on the road, they feel confident going into Annapolis.
"We clearly started the season out on the wrong foot," captain Matt Vergare said. "But we've come back to school for practice a week early and the team definitely looks solid."
No. 7 Penn (1-2) will face stiff competition from the 16th-ranked United States Naval Academy (10-5). Although the Midshipmen have posted an impressive number of wins, they have struggled against top teams such as No. 8 Dartmouth, No. 10 Williams, No. 13 Hobart and No. 15 Bowdoin -- winning only one match in those four contests combined.
The match should prove to be tough because of the energy the Midshipmen and their fans bring to the matchup.
"They have 200 fans and they are all in their dress whites ringing cow bells and blowing air horns," Penn junior Billy Peelle said.
Peelle will enter the starting lineup after exacting revenge on his little brother in a challenge match, beating him handily.
Despite the raucous atmosphere that the Quakers will compete in, the matchup with the Midshipmen is in no way hot-blooded.
"There is always a certain sense of respect when you play a military academy," Vergare said. "You feel sort of humble when you play them because of what those guys do when they graduate."
Penn is coming off an extended layoff since its last match, as the Quakers have not competed in over a month -- the Red and Blue's previous match was an 8-1 victory over Brown at home on Dec. 7.
This match will be of vital importance for the Quakers, as they need a win to gain momentum for their upcoming weekend. The Quakers will travel to different parts of Massachusetts when they visit both No. 11 Amherst and Williams on Saturday.
Today Penn will head into what can only be described as an, "unusual and rowdy atmosphere," according to Peelle, but the Quakers feel confident that they will return to West Philadelphia with a win.
"In recent years we have fared well against them," Peelle said. "And we hope to keep the streak going."
