No. 8 Virginia Wins MASC Championship Title, Defeats No. 14 Franklin & Marshall
WASHINGTON – The No. 8 Virginia men’s squash team (17-4) captured an 8-1 win against No. 14 Franklin & Marshall (10-6) at Squash on Fire on Sunday (Feb. 9) to win the Mid-Atlantic Squash Championships and clinch the Holley Cup for the second consecutive year.
Virginia opened the day with redshirt freshman Peter Miller (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) recording an 11-9, 12-10, 11-2 win against Matthew Dukarm in position five. Freshman Omar El Torkey (New Cairo, Egypt) battled Sanjay Jeeva to a 14-12, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7 win in position one, while senior Toby Hansford (Darien, Conn.) defeated Raunak Advani 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 in position six.
In position two, freshman Aly Hussein (Cairo, Egypt) defeated Aryan Parekh 11-8, 11-6, 11-1 as junior William Braff (Locust Valley, N.Y.) recorded the deciding point with a 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 win against Flavio Hinostroza in position eight.
Virginia added wins from sophomore Will Holey (Greenwich, Conn.) going 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 against Shamseldeen Abbas in position three, junior Andrew Braff (Locust Valley, N.Y.) going 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 against Kingman Bassett in position nine and freshman Cullen Little (Baltimore, Md.) going 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 14-12 against Yannis Senkel in position four.
“On what was the biggest day in our program’s history, our men’s squad came through with flying colors,” head coach Mark Allen said. “I can’t say how proud I am of this team and the progress they have made thus far this season. We faced F&M in our first match of the season and defeated them 6-3 at our home courts. Today, playing at a neutral venue, we topped that score in 8-1 fashion. That score line is a testament to the perseverance and dedication all of our players have shown each day from then until today. Today’s victory almost certainly ensures us a berth in the A Division at the team nationals for the first time ever and we can can’t wait to make some noise there.”
The Cavaliers will await seeding for the College Squash Association Team National Championships in Boston. The three-day national championship will be held Feb. 28 – March 1.
Meet Notes:
• The Cavaliers won the Mid-Atlantic Squash Championships for the second consecutive year.
• It’s the second consecutive year the Cavaliers have finished the conference tournament undefeated.
• Virginia defeated Franklin & Marshall for the second time this season and sixth time since the Cavaliers became a varsity program.
No. 8 Virginia def. 14 Franklin and Marshall 8-1
Order of Events (5, 7, 1, 6, 2, 8, 3, 9, 4)
1 | Omar El Torkey (UVA) def. Sanjay Jeeva (FM) 14-12, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7
2 | Aly Hussein (UVA) def. Aryan Parekh (FM) 11-8, 11-6, 11-1
3 | Will Holey (UVA) def. Shamseldeen Abbas (FM) 11-9, 11-4, 11-5
4 | Cullen Little (UVA) Yannis Senkel (FM) 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 14-12
5 | Peter Miller (UVA) def. Matthew Dukarm (FM) 11-9, 12-10, 11-2
6 | Toby Hansford (UVA) def. Raunak Advani (FM) 11-4, 11-5, 11-8
7 | Teddy Eill (FM) def. Teddy Durfee (UVA) 11-9, 16-14, 12-10
8 | William Braff (UVA) def. Flavio Hinostroza (FM) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8
9 | Andrew Braff (UVA) def. Kingman Bassett (FM) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7