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No. 9 Virginia Edges No. 8 Drexel for Third Consecutive MASC Title

Box Score (PDF)

LANCASTER, Pa. – The No. 9 Virginia men’s squash team (12-5) defeated No. 8 Drexel to claim its third consecutive Mid Atlantic Squash conference title in a thrilling match on Sunday afternoon.

Virginia fell behind early as Drexel’s Haris Qasim downed Cullen Little in three games. It was Aly Hussein who leveled the score soon after with an 11-2, 11-7, 11-6 sweep of Lucas Rousselet at the top position on the ladder.

Drexel quickly jumped back out in front as Jose Andres Lopez downed CJ Baldini in three games. Will Holey fell in five games despite holding a two-game lead as Drexel increased its advantage to 3-1.

With the scoreboard reading 4-2 in favor of Drexel, Charles Braff and Myles McIntyre delivered in the clutch to level the score at 4-4 and set up a dramatic finish to the match between Taha Dinana and Fritiof Jacobsson in the fourth spot on the ladder.

After trading blows in the first four games, the match Mid Atlantic Squash Conference title came down to the fifth and final game. Dinana battled to a 10-9 advantage and with a swing of his right arm placed the ball perfectly in the back corner of the court to clinch the title for Virginia.

FROM HEAD COACH MARK ALLEN:

“It was a huge win for the guys today, and a win that not only gives us our third consecutive MASC championship, but also the victory we needed to hopefully secure a  berth in the Potter Cup for CSA Nationals in two weeks’ time. To win against a top 8 team you must be competitive in every position on the roster and today we were, from one all the way through to nine.  The guys fought for every point, every game, and showed unshakeable belief in themselves even at 4-2 down with three matches to go. It was a great weekend for Virginia men’s squash!”

NOTES

  • Virginia remains the only team to claim the MASC title in the conference’s history
  • Virginia claims the title for the third consecutive year
  • The Cavaliers have never lost a match in the Mid Atlantic Squash Championships
  • Virginia wins its first ever match against Drexel (1-5 all-time)
  • Drexel was the only team to defeat Virginia in MASC play this season
  • Aly Hussein improved to 15-1 on the season and picked up his 12th consecutive victory
  • Omar El Torkey improves to 13-2 on the season
  • Myles McIntyre picked up his eighth straight win

ON THE HORIZON

  • The CSA Team Championships are set to begin on Friday, Feb. 18 in Philadelphia, Pa.

No. 9 Virginia 5, No. 8 Drexel 4

  1. Aly Hussein (M_UVA) def. Lucas Rousselet (DREXEL) 11-2, 11-7, 11-5
  2. Omar El Torkey (M_UVA) def. Matias Knudsen (DREXEL) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
  3. Haris Qasim (DREXEL) def. Cullen Little (M_UVA) 11-4, 15-13, 11-7
  4. Taha Dinana (M_UVA) def. Fritiof Jacobsson (DREXEL) 12-10, 9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9
  5. Dylan Kachur (DREXEL) def. Tyler Mackesy (M_UVA) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2
  6. Jose Andres Lopez (DREXEL) def. CJ Baldini (M_UVA) 11-7, 13-11, 11-9
  7. Myles McIntyre (M_UVA) def. Noel Heaton (DREXEL) 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 18-16
  8. Filip Kruger (DREXEL) def. Will Holey (M_UVA) 7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9
  9. Charles Braff (M_UVA) def. Gautam Nagpal (DREXEL) 11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6

Exh. Drew Barr (M_UVA) def. Matthew Lucente (DREXEL) 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10

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