For "just trying to stay on the court" with the nation's top squash player, Penn's Gilly Lane sure put up a superb effort.
In Penn's 7-2 loss to Princeton, Lane, the charismatic freshman, beat the Tigers' Yasser El-Halaby, 9-4, before dropping the next three games 9-1, 9-1, 9-1.
With the loss, No. 8 Penn fell to 5-5 and 1-3 in the Ivy League, while No. 4 Princeton remained undefeated (5-0, 3-0 Ivy).
Last night's highlight for the Quakers was the performance of junior Rich Repetto at No. 2 on the ladder.
Repetto defeated stubborn opponent Vincent Yu in a three-game match that got ugly at the end.
Yu was responsible for several lets, getting in the way as Repetto chased after short shots down the stretch.
"There was a lot of contact toward the end," Repetto said, blaming his foe's strategy. "It was extremely hard to keep my composure."
Ironically, Repetto won the match on a stroke point, as Yu got in his way on what was deemed to be a winning shot, giving Repetto the point and a 10-9 victory in game three.
Despite having never seen his opponent play, Repetto, ranked fifth in the national preseason poll, was prepared for the challenge.
"I was confident," Repetto said. "I had a game plan going in."
The results were not as bright for the majority of Penn's players, including junior Drew Crockett, who lost his match after being tied 2-2 in games and 9-9 in pointsbefore losing 10-9 in the fifth.
The rivalry game drew a large crowd, much of which witnessed the battle between Lane and El-Halaby.
While any contrast in ability was unclear through the first game, the contrast in emotions was clear as day.
El-Halaby played a restrained game, looking the same when he was down 9-4 as when he was cruising through his three 9-1 wins. On the other hand, Lane let his emotion show, motivating himself -- and the crowd -- after his best points.
"I like to let my emotions out a little," Lane said. "When I get on the court, it's all business."
Lane admitted afterwards that he was still "trying to adjust to the speed of the game." As a freshman, his rivalry with El-Halaby, a sophomore, will have time to develop.
In the more immediate future for the Quakers is a full day of matches against Penn State, George Washington, Rochester, Franklin & Marshall and Haverford on Saturday.
