ITHACA, NY - This past Saturday in Ithaca, the Ephs took on Cornell and Hobart in their first matches of the season.
In an electric, crowd packed match, the No. 21 Men fell to No. 15 Cornell. Freshman Krish Bhavnani (#9), Junior David Pincus (#6) and Freshman Jacob Bassil (#3) were on first. Bhavnani was a step too slow and was edged out in three games, while Pincus and Bassil tested their opponents to close four game duals. The second round of matches was led by Senior Anand Butler (#8), Sophomore A.J. Solecki (#5), and Junior Will Means (#2). Butler, Solecki, and Means were all defeated 3-0 against high caliber players. Senior Co-Captain Ben Eisenberg, Sophomore Wyatt Khosrowshahi, and Senior Co-Captain John Fitzgerald battled in the last round of matches. Eisenberg and Khosrowshahi pushed their opponents to a fifth and deciding game, while Fitzgerald was defeated in three games as he was trying to find his groove after time off from the court.
A couple of hours later, the Men returned to play Hobart, leaving with a 7-2 victory. In a challenge of endurance, the Ephs Men were rock solid from the #3-#9 positions, each player earning 3-0 victories. Bassil dropped in four games in a competitive match, while Fitzgerald struggled to regain his strong from the previous season.
Senior Co-Captain John Fitzgerald said after the match: "It was a tough opening day with a lot of squash, but we have plenty of room for improvement going forward and will continue to push ourselves each day in practice so that we are prepared for upcoming big matches."
The Ephs take on Hamilton and Connecticut College in Clinton, NY tomorrow morning at 10am.
| Cornell University | Rating | Williams College | Rating | Winner's Score | Winner | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1S | Muran, Andrew C. | 5.73714 | Fitzgerald, John C | 5.50371 | 11-4,11-3,11-6 | Cornell University | C |
| 2S | Culhane, Charles | 5.81442 | Means, William W | 5.25131 | 11-3,11-6,11-9 | Cornell University | C |
| 3S | Hanson, Perry W. | 5.64997 | Bassil, Jacob | 5.35823 | 11-3,7-11,11-6,11-5 | Cornell University | C |
| 4S | Dworetzky, Alex | 5.35389 | Khosrowshahi, Wyatt | 5.24892 | 11-4,11-3,2-11,5-11,11-7 | Cornell University | C |
| 5S | Presman, Illia | 5.37028 | Solecki, A.J. | 5.31546 | 11-5,11-7,11-3 | Cornell University | C |
| 6S | Goth Errington, Nicholas | Non-member | Pincus, David | 5.17039 | 11-6,6-11,11-8,11-8 | Cornell University | C |
| 7S | Park, Luke | 5.23613 | Eisenberg, Ben R. | 5.06942 | 11-5,9-11,6-11,11-2,11-5 | Cornell University | C |
| 8S | Scherl, Jared | 5.13772 | Butler, Anand M. | 4.98329 | 11-5,11-7,11-5 | Cornell University | C |
| 9S | Surti, Yohann | Non-member | Bhavnani, Krish S | 5.35569 | 11-9,11-3,11-2 | Cornell University | C |
| 10S | Paolella, James H. | 5.05722 | Merino, Oscar | 4.83473 | 11-4,11-5,11-5 | Cornell University | C |
| Williams College | Rating | Hobart College | Rating | Winner's Score | Winner | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1S | Fitzgerald, John C | 5.50371 | Oakley, Josh | 5.45391 | 11-7,11-3,11-6 | Hobart College | C |
| 2S | Bassil, Jacob | 5.35823 | Abdelhafez, Mohamed | 5.48073 | 11-9,9-11,11-8,11-9 | Hobart College | C |
| 3S | Khosrowshahi, Wyatt | 5.24892 | Mulholland, Michael | 5.08469 | 11-8,11-5,11-5 | Williams College | C |
| 4S | Solecki, A.J. | 5.31546 | Davis, Quran | Lapsed-member | 11-5,11-5,11-0 | Williams College | C |
| 5S | Pincus, David | 5.17039 | Temoyan, Cameron D | 4.61733 | 11-2,11-7,11-5 | Williams College | C |
| 6S | Eisenberg, Ben R. | 5.06942 | Escalona, Cristian M. | Lapsed-member | 11-3,11-1,11-4 | Williams College | C |
| 7S | Butler, Anand M. | 4.98329 | Pugliese, Josh E. | Lapsed-member | 11-3,11-2,11-1 | Williams College | C |
| 8S | Bhavnani, Krish S | 5.35569 | Reith, George G | 4.40557 | 11-5,11-0,11-7 | Williams College | C |
| 9S | Merino, Oscar | 4.83473 | Wan, Jeffrey | Lapsed-member | 11-2,11-5,11-3 | Williams College | C |
