What could have and should have been close instead became just another blowout. The Harvard men's squash team rolled past Pennsylvania Saturday, 9-0, displaying great depth, and a promising group of freshman.

"It might have been the worst coaching move of the century," said Harvard Coach Dave Fish, referring to his decision to let his number-one player, Kenton Jernigan, play in the Canadian National Championships instead of the Penn match. Jernigan's absence left the Crimson without its top three players, as numbers two and three, David Boyum and Richard Jackson, are still injured.

Fish was forced to move several inexperienced freshmen into the starting lineup. He expected a tight match.

But the incredible depth of the Harvard squad showed as the racquetmen won eight of the nine matches in straight games.

"The freshmen were able to jump right in," said Fish. "I'm very pleased. They showed they are good enough to play varsity squash on any team in the country."

The only close match of the day was played between the Crimson's senior Co-Captain Jim Lubowitz, playing at number, one for the first time, and Quaker freshman David Proctor. In a hard-fought, emotional contest, a poised Lubowitz came back from a 2-1 deficit to win in five games.

The racquetmen now have four days to prepare for the USSRA five-man championships in Cleveland this weekend. Fish has decided that the depth of the squad will allow him to send two teams to the tournament.

Fish has been drilling the racquetmen individually over the last few weeks, getting on the court and working with each player as much as possible. The team has also been undergoing a rigorous conditioning program. "We've been running a lot, so we will be totally ready for whatever comes down," said Fish. "We don't want to lose for the factor that we could have worked harder," he added.

The Crimson will face some stiff competition in Cleveland. One of the toughest foes is likely to be a powerful Mexican team. "It will be a good challenge for us; we're ready to play some good players," Fish said. Though the Crimson are the defending champions and the favorite, Fish denies that there is pressure, on his squad.

The tournament also includes a singles championship, which Jernigan won as a freshman last year. He will be back to defend his title, making him ineligible to compete in the team championships.

The Harvard first team will consist of co-captains Lubowitz and Spencer Brog, David Segal, Peter Dinneen, and Richard Jackson. Much of the team's chances hinges on the performance of Jackson, who has seen little court time due to a succession of minor injuries this season, the most recent of which kept him out of the Penn match. The other four have all been playing good squash and looked particularly strong against the Quakers. If Jackson plays well, the racquetmen look to be a good bet to repeat as champs.

THE NOTEBOOK: David Boyum, Harvard's second-seeded player, will be unable to compete in Cleveland due to a wrist injury he suffered earlier this season. Last year he finished second to Jernigan.

Harvard 9, Penn 0

1. Jim Lubowitz (H) d. David Proctor (P), 3-2

2. Spencer Brog (H) d. Alec Sokolow (P), 3-0