The UR squash team won their last home match of the season on Friday, defeating Hobart College 7-2. The win gives them momentum as they gear up for the team championships at Princeton University this week.
UR lost at first and second string but was able to win positions three through nine, as well as the exhibition at the 10th string to finish the night.
Sophomore Patrick Harris, the team captain, nearly won his match at No. 1 when he had the physical advantage in the fifth game.
“Some deft touches by his opponent brought his challenge to a halt,” head coach Martin Heath said.
“It definitely was a tough match for me personally,” Harris said. “He kept me moving and put me away when he had strong momentum.”
Senior Drew Aldrich, at the No. 8 position, provided the best rally of the night. He lost the first set and was down 8-2 in the second set before rallying for eight straight points to even the match at a set a piece. He went on to win the third set, 9-6 and the fourth set, 10-8.
At the No. 2 spot, sophomore Ravi Gupta could not garner a win despite taking the second game. He ended up losing the match by a score of 1-3.
Senior Jay Acharya, at the No. 3 position, won his match, 3-1. Sophomore Jamie Lynn came back from a 1-0 deficit against Hobart’s Robert Hansen to win his match, 3-1 with a final score 5-9, 9-6, 9-1, 9-0.
The bottom six seeds played with finesse, with four of them sweeping their opponents.
Freshmen Ori Goldman, Dan Carson and Rob Pakan displayed the experience they have gained in their first season when they swept the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively.
Much to their dismay, the Yellowjackets were snowed in over the weekend. The big snow storm that cruised through the much of the Northeast – excluding Rochester – stopped the team from traveling to Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., where they were scheduled to compete on both Saturday and Sunday. As of now, neither of the cancelled matches are scheduled to be completed.
The win against Hobart was particularly satisfying for UR because Hobart beat UR 9-0 in the Liberty League championships in mid-November. Harris also comments on the team’s win.
Harris was enthusiastic about the rest of the season. “It was a great win for the team before Nationals,” Harris said. “Everyone but the No. 1 and No. 2 strings won, and we plan to get revenge in the first round of Nationals this coming weekend.”
Lasonde can be reached at blasonde@campustimes.org.Additional reporting by Andrew LeeLee can be reached at alee@campustimes.org.
