PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's and women's squash teams will open the new season in style, with the grand opening of the newly renovated Penn Squash Center in conjunction with the hosting of the Ivy League Scrimmages on Saturday and Sunday. The event marks the opening of one of the most premier squash facilities in the country.
 
The renovated Penn Squash Center began production on August 1, 2018 and features revamped all-glass show courts, improved spectator seating/viewing areas, upgraded technology to allow for video streaming on all courts and upgrades to the various facilities inside such as team rooms, coaches' offices, and restrooms.

"We are looking forward to an incredible weekend," said men's head coach Gilly Lane C'07. "Being able to play in a facility like the new Penn Squash Center is amazing. We are so grateful for the support of the alumni and friends of Penn squash and the athletic department to be able to play in what we think is the best facility in college squash. We are so excited to be able to share this opening with past players, friends of the program on homecoming weekend and celebrate the generations of Penn squash throughout history."

On Saturday, the Ivy Scrimmages will get underway, followed by a Gala celebration in the evening. The Scrimmages will conclude on Sunday.

An annual tradition, the Ivy Scrimmages welcome in the Ancient Eight for a series of tune-up matches in advance of the regular season. The Quakers' regular-season opener is against Dickinson on Saturday, Nov. 16. Women's play this weekend will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with the men shortly to follow at 11 a.m.

"We are incredibly excited about this season," said Lane. "The goal of the season is to get better each and every day, and the main thing for us as a team is to focus on one match at a time and not look too far down the road at any matches later in the season. We lost a considerable amount of experience and talent, but we're excited to welcome in a young, hungry and talented freshman class that we hope will continue to push us to new heights and put us in the running to challenge the best teams in the country."

The men's team adds five new freshmen to their already impressive core, led by senior David Yacobucci, junior Andrew Douglas and sophomore Aly Abou Eleinen. The women's team has also added five freshmen, to pair with returning senior Jessica Davis, junior Julia Buchholz and junior Haley Scott.