January 29th,
Boston MA -
BIG
NIGHT IN THE INTERCOLLEGIATES
Ladies and gentleman, are you
ready? Really, are you? Wednesday night four teams had better
be ready, as they will face a huge challenge. It's is Princeton
versus Trinity and Princeton versus Penn, as the men and
women Tigers head to their opponents' courts for battle.
"We're ready to go, can't wait to play," said Princeton
women's head coach Gail Ramsay. "At this point the women
are looking as sharp as we expected them to. We expect Penn
to come out with everything they have."
The Penn women are
planning on doing just that.
"We have the experience from last year when we were defeated
going into the match and lost to them," said Penn co-captain
Lauralynn Drury. "We will have our friends and our family
and are planning on going in and playing some great squash."
The
Penn ladies have been together since they left for South
Africa December 30th, and head coach Jack Wyant believes
all of that time and practice together has his team where
they need to be.
"I think the team is pretty loose," Wyant said. "They're
excited about the opportunity to play Princeton. We've had
a great 32 days together. "
The teams are currently ranked
No. 1 and 2 in the country, with the defending champ Tigers
holding the top spot.
AS FOR THE MEN
The Princeton men will also
step into enemy territory tomorrow as they head into a massive
match against Trinity. Many remember that Princeton was defeated
5-4 on Trinity's courts two years ago, after eventual four-time
national champ, Yasser El Halaby lost to Trinity's then freshman
Gustav Detter in five. Of course there is a lot to that story,
and perhaps because of what happened that day both teams
are revved up for the match. They are both solid and the
fact that they are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country
also contributes to that.
"It's a mysterious match in a way because Princeton has
only played five matches and have not played a match since
December," said Trinity men's head coach Paul Assaiante. "We
don't know what to expect, but Callahan will have them ready.
I told the boys that the national championship will not be
won on this match. If we look at it that way, we'll be nervous.
It's a dual match, and it's going to be really tough."
Trinity's
nine year winning streak hangs in the face of every opponent
they face. Princeton almost snapped their winning streak
two years ago, and knows they have a chance to do it tomorrow.
"I think that we will be competitive," said men's head coach
Bob Callahan. "There will be a lot of exciting matches tomorrow
and I think we can win some. I am not going to make any expectations
for wins or losses. We are thrilled to be involved in a great
match."
So will there be any changes in the top
of the rankings after tomorrow night? Perhaps. Check back
with Squash Talk for full recaps of both matches.
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