The No. 7 Penn men's squash team faced quite a task on Saturday -- two matches at two different locations in a matter of five hours against two opponents ranked in the top-15 in the nation.
The result: a dominating performance and two victories for Penn in Massachusetts.
The Quakers first defeated No. 11 Amherst, 9-0, in Amherst, Mass., and then proceeded to make the 60-mile journey to Williamstown, Mass., where they crushed No. 10 Williams, 8-1.
The win over Williams (8-4) marked the fourth straight victory for the Quakers (4-2, 1-1 Ivy) after losses in their first two contests of the season. Three of the victories have come away from the Ringe Courts.
Junior captain Drew Crockett was pleased with the team's progress so far this season, especially with its recent success on the road.
"We have to keep up the good work," he said. "We rode the good performance against Navy into this weekend. We had to focus and get the job done due to our hardships on the road."
Crockett, like many of the Quakers, enjoyed easy victories over his opponents on Saturday, earning consecutive 3-0 shutouts against his opponent from Amherst (0-2), then Williams.
In their early match, the Red and Blue lost only one game, outscoring Amherst 27 games to 1.
Williams College did little to stop the Quakers' momentum in the second match. Of Penn's nine victories, eight were 3-0 wins.
Freshman Gilly Lane continued his intercollegiate perfection, extending his unbeaten streak to six to start his career, despite competing against other schools' best players at No. 1. Nevertheless, he chose to focus on the team's achievements rather than personal accolades.
"It is a great feeling to go on the road and get two big wins," he said. "This was a big confidence boost, especially with our coming matches."
The Quakers have been performing exceptionally well since returning from winter break, topping Navy, 9-0, on Jan. 14 before their victories over the Jeffs and the Ephs on Saturday.
Adding to Penn's confidence, first-team All-American Richard Repetto returned to the lineup. The junior, suffering from injury, saw his first action on the court since Nov. 22. Despite two easy victories, he did not believe he was yet at full speed.
"I'm on the road back," he said. "My fitness is back, but mobility is the problem. I don't have agility."
The Quakers must now prepare for one of the most difficult weekends of the season -- matches against No. 1 Trinity and No. 2 Yale. With the goal of finishing in the top-5 in the nation, the next two matches will show just how far the youthful squad has progressed.
