The men’s and women’s squash teams will head south this weekend to battle Penn and Princeton before traveling to Brown to wrap up this series of three Ivy conference matches on the road early next week.

The Eli men (10–1, 2–0 Ivy) and women (12–1, 2–0) are ranked above Penn, Princeton and Brown in the CSA national rankings. Both Yale teams are ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League, tied with Harvard. Brown and Dartmouth hold the seventh position in the conference for both men and women. Penn is ranked third for men, and Princeton is ranked fifth. Both schools are tied at fourth for women.

“[Penn and Princeton] are two very strong teams,” captain Eric Caine ’14 said. “And winning both is essential as we continue to pursue the Ivy League championship.”

According to Shiyuan Mao ’17, the men and women have been anticipating these away games all week.

After hosting seven schools in a busy weekend at the Paine Whitney Gymnasium’s Brady Squash Center, the two teams are ready for a road trip.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s my first time going down there,” Mao said.

Mao added that the rest of her team had been talking about the matches this week and practicing specifically with Penn and Princeton in mind.

One particular challenge will be the difference in the type of courts that the Elis’ Ivy oppenents use.

“At Penn and Princeton, they play with wall courts instead of glass courts, so we’ve been trying to get used to those conditions,” her sister, Shihui Mao ’15, said.

Caine stated that the men’s team was doing the same. They have been preparing this week and will be ready to face Penn on Saturday.

Kah Wah Cheong ’17 said that the Bulldogs hope that the weekend will prove a success.

“I have confidence that we’re going to kill it,” Shiyuan Mao said.

The Bulldogs will also be hoping to preserve their winning streaks from the successful weekend at home. The men have won their last three games, and the women have won their last four.

Both Penn and Princeton are in the running for the Ivy title.

“We will not take Penn and Princeton lightly because both teams have immense potential,” Cheong said. “Beating these two teams will boost our position in the contest for the Ivy League Championship title.”

After the games against Penn, Princeton and Brown, the men’s and women’s teams will play Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend to finish their regular seasons before CSA Team Championships.