Road to Team Title Starts With Old Foe

Dorothy might say, “There’s no place like home,” but the No. 5 Harvard men’s squash (5-4, 4-2), which lost at its home court to No. 4 Princeton (10-3, 5-1) two weeks ago, hopes there will be “no place like New Haven.”

Tomorrow afternoon at Yale’s Payne Whitney Gymnasium, the Crimson will have a chance at retribution for the recent loss, as it faces off in a rematch against the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the College Squash Association National Team Championships.

“It’s a great atmosphere down at Yale,” junior Reed Endresen said. “It will be very energetic. Great squash will be played.”

Though Princeton won the first meeting, 7-2, the match was closer than the score indicated.

Harvard won matches at the top two spots, as co-captain Colin West and junior Richard Hill each took home 3-1 victories.

In the number nine spot, the match between Crimson freshman Alexander Ma and Tigers junior Nikhil Seth came down to the wire, with Seth ultimately prevailing in five games.

Though the other matches were not as close, three or fewer points decided 16 of 34 games.

“[It] is a very balanced match,” Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa said. “This time neither team has a home advantage. If we could win a couple of matches we [lost last time], then the pressure goes on other team and anything could happen.”

“Although Princeton, on paper, is the favorite,” he added.

The Crimson has won a total of 31 CSA Championships since the tournament’s inception, more than any other team, while the Tigers have claimed nine.

Last year, Harvard took home fourth place, and Princeton came in second. No. 1 Trinity won the national title in 2009, extending its Potter Cup championship streak to 11.

The winner of tomorrow’s match will take on the Bantams on Saturday. Due to the nature of tournament play, this game is a must-win for both the Crimson and the Tigers.

“[We’re focusing on] what each player feels they need,” said Bajwa of this week’s training, “and a lot of match-situational play.”

Harvard enters the national tournament after dropping its last two matches—losses to Yale and Princeton, respectively.

The Crimson is 4-2 in Ivy League matches, ending the season right behind the Tigers by finishing third in the league.

Harvard, ranked fifth nationally, has only lost four games this year—coming against teams ranked No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4.

West leads the Crimson with eight victories at the number one position and was the only Harvard player to record a victory against the Bulldogs last weekend, although freshman Zeke Shrel lost in a tight five-gamer and juniors Richard Hill and Eliot Buchanan each won a game.

“We’ve see [Princeton’s] lineup now and we have a little more experience,” Endresen said. “We can go in [to Friday’s match] knowing what to expect…Hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”

The Tigers, whose four-game winning streak ended in a 9-0 loss to Trinity, are coming off a win against Williams. Princeton welcomes the return of junior David Letourneau, who missed the previous matchup against the Crimson due to injury and will play at the number two spot tomorrow afternoon. The Tigers expect the rematch between West and Princeton freshman Todd Harrity, the second and third ranked players in the nation, respectively, to be competitive as well.

“It’s going to be a tough match,” Endresen said. “We need to go in as naturally focused and dedicated as we can [and play with] a lot of heart and intensity…It’s a must win situation if we want to finish in the top five.”

“Everything is done,” Bajwa said. “You get to a point where you [just] hope your best is good enough.”