LEWISTON, Maine -- The No. 13 nationally ranked Bates men's squash team received points from junior Ahmed Abdel Khalek and senior Nabil Saleem in a 7-2 loss to No. 9 Penn on Saturday in the Bobcats' home opener at the newly improved Bates Squash Center.

The match was the first of the season for the visiting Quakers (1-0), while the Bobcats dropped to 3-2. It was the first match played at the improved and reconfigured Bates Squash Center, with its sparkling new sixth court and new spectator seating structure. The sixth court's glass walls allow for spectators to view the action from all sides.

Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) remained undefeated since his freshman year at the No. 1 position on the ladder for Bates, but it took a rare five games to ensure the win. Penn first-year student Marwan Mahmoud (Alexandria, Egypt) came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match with 11-7 and 12-10 wins in the third and fourth games, before Abdel Khalek shut the door with an 11-5 win in the deciding game.

The Quakers (1-0) started freshmen at the first three spots on the ladder, and it paid off with Derek Hsue's 3-1 win over Bates sophomore Darrius Campbell (St. Stephen, S.C.) at No. 2 and Hayes Murphy's 3-0 win over Bates senior captain Andy Cannon (Greenwich, Conn.) at No. 3.

The Bobcats got a big point at No. 4, however, with senior captain Saleem's (Alpharetta, Ga.) 3-1 win over Penn junior Liam Quinn. 

Penn swept the final five positions for the 7-2 win, but three Bobcats avoided the shutout in 3-1 decisions: junior captain Caran Arora (Mumbai, India) at No. 5, senior Jason Shrubb (Hamilton, Bermuda) at No. 7 and sophomore Spencer Burt (Portland, Ore.) at No. 8.

Bates next hosts NESCAC and in-state rival Bowdoin on Dec. 3 at 6pm.

Penn 7, Bates 2
Nov. 22, 2014 at Bates Squash Center (Lewiston, Maine)

1. Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Bates) def. Marwan Mahmoud (Penn) 3-2 (11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 11-5)
2. Derek Hsue (Penn) def. Darrius Campbell (Bates) 3-1 (6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7)
3. Hayes Murphy (Penn) def. Andy Cannon (Bates) 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-9)
4. Nabil Saleem (Bates) def. Liam Quinn (Penn) 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5)
5. Anders Larson (Penn) def. Caran Arora (Bates) 3-1 (6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3)
6. James watson (Penn) def. Carlos Ames (Bates) 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 11-0)
7. Rahil Fazhelbhoy (Penn) def. Jason Shrubb (Bates) 3-1 (11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5)
8. Augie Frank (Penn) def. Spencer Burt (Bates) 3-1 (11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5)
9. B.G. Lemmon (Penn) def. Anirudh Nambiar (Bates) 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-7)