The University of Pennsylvania men’s and women’s squash teams are preparing for crucial matches against Princeton on Saturday, Feb. 7, with both squads aiming to secure spots in the Ivy League tournament.
The men’s team holds a 9-2 overall record and is 2-1 in conference play, placing them third in the Ivy League standings. They have recently defeated Cornell (6-3) and Columbia (9-0), marking their second consecutive win streak of the season. The Quakers can clinch a playoff berth with a victory over Princeton and if Cornell also wins against Columbia. Key contributors include Omar Hafez, who leads the team with nine wins this season and was recognized as Penn student athlete of the week following his national championship at the CSA Individuals. Alongside Hafez, Salman Khalil, Marwan Abdelsalam, and Alex Dartnell each secured two wins last weekend.
On the women’s side, Penn enters the match undefeated at 11-0 overall and 3-0 in Ivy League play, trailing only Harvard in conference standings. The team swept both Cornell and Columbia last weekend for their second and third straight 9-0 shutouts. A win over Princeton would guarantee them a spot in the Ivy Tournament. Team captain Franka Vidovic, Allie Stoddard, and Savannah Ingledew each hold perfect 10-0 individual records this season.
Princeton’s men’s team comes into Saturday’s contest after recent victories over Cornell and Columbia that improved their record to 4-4. Their top player Hollis Robertson has posted a 5-2 record this year while Aly Ibrahim leads with six wins out of eight matches played. For Princeton to secure an Ivy Tournament berth, they must defeat Penn and rely on a Cornell win over Columbia.
The Princeton women’s squad is currently ranked fourth nationally by CSA with an 8-1 record; their sole loss came against No. 3 Stanford on Nov. 23 (6-3). Since then they have won seven consecutive matches including five sweeps. Zeina Zein leads Princeton’s lineup as she captured the women’s CSA Individual Championship on Jan. 27; she remains unbeaten at 8-0 this season.
Both matches will take place Saturday at 1:00 p.m., hosted by Princeton in New Jersey.
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