CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 Harvard men's squash earned a statement victory on the road on Sunday afternoon, taking down No. 4 Virginia, 6-3, in a top-five national showdown. The Crimson (2-0) displayed impressive depth throughout the ladder, securing five wins from positions 3–9 to power past the Cavaliers.
How it Happened
Harvard traveled to Charlottesville this afternoon for an early-season clash between two of the CSA's top programs. The Crimson was looking to earn a meaningful early season result in a battle of two of the nation's top-five teams.
Virginia captured wins at the top two spots on the ladder, but the Crimson responded with a dominant stretch in the middle and lower order. Omar Azzam started the surge threes, rebounding from a narrow 11-13 opening game to win three straight and put Harvard on the board. At fours, Christian Capella followed suit with a 3-1 victory.
The Cavaliers regained a point at fives, but Alexander Broadbridge delivered one of the day's defining performances at sixes, grinding out an 11-8 win in the fifth game.
Harvard dominated the bottom of the ladder in the match to help teh team secure the victory. Segev Rome cruised to a sweep at sevens, conceding just one point in the third game to take a 3-0 win. Jacob Lin staged a dramatic comeback at eights, overcoming an 0-2 deficit by rolling through the final three games and earning a five-set victory. To seal Harvard's sixth point, Ishant Shah prevailed in yet another five-game thriller, taking the decisive fifth 11-8 at nines.
The victory marks a major early-season result for the Crimson as they continue their push toward the top of the CSA rankings.
Final Results
No. 3 Harvard - 6
No. 4 Virginia - 3
1. Juan Irisarri (VA) def. David Costales, 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-3)
2. Juan Jose Torres Lara (VA) def. Denis Gilevskiy, 3-1 (11-7, 6-11, 19-17, 15-13)
3. Omar Azzam def. JP Tew (VA), 3-1 (11-13, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8)
4. Christian Capella def. Dylan Moran (VA), 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3)
5. Krishna Mishra (VA) def. Maddox Moxham , 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-7)
6. Alexander Broadbridge def. Oscar Okonkwo (VA), 3-2 (11-7, 10-12, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8)
7. Segev Rome def. Nathan Rosenzweig (VA), 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-1)
8. Jacob Lin def. Maxwell Velazquez (VA), 3-2 (5-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-6)
9. Ishant Shah def. Ewan Harris (VA), 3-2 (11-13, 11-3, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8)
Up Next
Harvard men's squash will be back in action after the Winter Break on January 16-17 when it competes against Columbia and Cornell at the Murr Center.
