Although the drive back from Princeton, N.J., only took 40 minutes, the men's squash team's performance at the Collegiate Squash Association Team Championships this weekend undoubtedly made for a long ride home.
With the top eight teams in one bracket, everyone knew what to expect when the seeding shook out.
No. 7 Penn faced No. 2 Princeton Friday afternoon in a match that was eerily similar to the squads' previous meeting in January.
The Tigers swept the Quakers, 9-0, without losing an individual game - an identical result to the last time the Red and Blue visited Jadwin Courts.
"We felt that Princeton was going to be a little too deep," coach Craig Thorpe-Clark said. "Our goal was that we really had a chance to challenge Yale."
Even though Penn had suffered an 8-1 defeat on the road to No. 5 Yale back in December, Saturday's contest proved to be much more competitive.
The Quakers pushed seven of nine flights to at least four games. When it was over, the Bulldogs came away with a 7-2 victory, but the match was much closer than the scoreboard indicates.
Freshman Trevor McGuinness won his contest at No. 3, while senior Andrew Zimmerman outplayed his No. 5 counterpart in a five-match battle.
"The match against Yale was a real hotly and closely contested affair," Thorpe-Clark said. "The overall score line really didn't do justice to how close the first four or five matches were."
With its hopes of a fifth-place finish gone, Penn faced Dartmouth in a Sunday showdown for seventh in the nation.
Like they did just two weeks ago, the Red and Blue edged the Big Green, 5-4, to finish the season on a high note and send their seniors off with a win.
"Overall it was a great game," Thorpe-Clark said.
The "key" victory, according to Thorpe-Clark, was Thomas Mattsson at No. 1. He had suffered a 3-2 loss in the first match against Dartmouth but prevailed 3-1 yesterday.
Indeed, the hometown freshman was a bright spot this season for Penn, which graduates six seniors, who Thorpe-Clark called "one of the most committed and loyal groups that I've had."
Some of that group will get the chance to compete once more on an individual level in next week's CSA Individual Championships. With respect to next year, Thorpe-Clark is optimistic as usual.
"I think the immediate future is really pretty bright for the team," he said. "We certainly have some talented players who can help get us up to that next level."
