Earlier this month, Penn squash assistant coach Gilly Lane coached the US men’s team to a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Lane, who graduated from the College in 2007 after earning All-America, All-Ivy and team MVP honors all four years at Penn, served as a player-coach for the men’s team last year in the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival, where the men qualified for this year’s event by placing third. The head of the US national teams, Paul Assaiante, wanting to maintain continuity between the 2014 and 2015 events, offered Lane the men’s head coach position if he did not make the team as a player. “I jumped at the chance when they put it out there to me,” Lane said.

It was an action-packed weekend on the road for Penn squash, as the women swept Yale and Brown while the men split against the two schools. The No 2 women's squad beat No.

While most students take the upcoming winter break to recover from finals and spend time with friends and family, Penn squash will be taking no days off as they continue to prepare for the tough Ivy slate ahead. The Quakers will be thrust into new environments and pitted against tough competition on their road to the Ivy League opener at the Ringe Squash Courts, including a trip across the pond.. “The boys are looking forward to the England trip,” Assistant coach Gilly Lane said.

Sunday afternoon proved to be heartbreaking at Ringe courts for Penn men’s squash. In a match where four positions in the ladder were forced to five games, only one of them went Penn’s way.

The No. 9 Quakers will take on No. 16 Navy on Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. at the Ringe Squash Courts and hope to improve to 4-0 to begin the year.

Has Penn men’s squash turned the corner? Is the women’s squash team finally ready to take down Harvard and Trinity? One is left to ponder the future of both squads after their surprising performances at last weekend’s Ivy Scrimmages.

As Penn men’s and women’s squash look to soon begin the season, there is just one thought on their minds – improving.