Though (thankfully) midterm season is not yet upon us, the Harvard men’s squash team is about to face some big tests.

The No. 6 Crimson plays four matches in the next eight days—three of which pit Harvard against one of the nation’s top three teams—to close out the regular season. After that, it’s straight to College Squash Association national championships for the Crimson.

The important matchups begin this weekend with a two game road trip down south (though not far enough south to be much warmer than it is in Cambridge).

This Saturday, Harvard begins its quest to compete at the top of the league against No. 10 Penn. The Crimson will have to recover quickly from the match against the Quakers if it wants a shot at No. 3 Princeton on Sunday.

After a few days of rest and recovery, the Crimson will host its two toughest opponents of the season. The matchups at Barnaby Courts begin Wednesday, Feb. 9 with No. 1 Trinity. The contest against the 12-time defending CSA team champions was postponed due to inclement weather last week.

The regular season comes to a close on Saturday, Feb. 12 against No. 2 Yale. A fitting end to any Ivy League campaign, the match against the Bulldogs is sure to be a difficult one.

With all of these important contests just around the corner, Harvard is busy getting ready for its final four regular-season tests, with an emphasis on being prepared without overdoing it.

“Right now, there’s not much to be done on the fitness level,” Crimson Coach Mike Way said. “We just have to maintain our fitness levels, and look for signs of burn out.”

“It’s about tapering…and making sure kids aren’t getting jaded,” he continued. “It’s possible to be ‘oversquashed’ and we want to [avoid that].”