No. 5 Virginia Tops No. 7 Drexel 6-3

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – The No. 5 Virginia men’s squash team (6-3, 2-0 MASC) picked up a 6-3 victory against No. 7 Drexel (6-4, 2-1 MASC) on Sunday (Jan. 19) at the McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville, Va.

Virginia jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Drexel tied it up at 2-2. The match was tied 3-3 when freshman Juan Jose Torres Lara picked up a win at No. 3 to put UVA ahead 4-3. The final two courts both went to deciding fifth games. Sophomore Dylan Moran and freshman Ewan Harris both pulled out 11-9 victories in those fifth games to give UVA the 6-3 victory against the Dragons.

The victory extends the Cavaliers’ win streak to five matches.

FROM HEAD COACH MARK ALLEN

“Credit to Drexel today for pushing us all the way through to the very end. At this level, the margins are so small, and the difference between the matches won today, compared to the matches lost, was minimal. But what separates those wins from the losses is composure. Whoever keeps their head in those big points and plays the 9-alls, the 10-alls, the game-balls and match-balls well is almost always the person that comes away with the win. Our lowerclassmen were exceptionally good in this area today, winning seven of the eight games that were separated by just two points. Ewan and Dylan both closing out their fifth games to win us the match was really impressive stuff. We will need to be just as steadfast in a couple of weeks when we may end up playing them again with the MSASC conference championships title on the line.”

MATCH NOTES

• This match was deemed the CSA Men’s Match of the Week by the College Squash Association
• The Cavaliers won all three matches at the top of the ladder, taking two of them by 3-0 scores
• All three of the freshmen in the lineup won their matches (Juan Jose Torres Lara, Ewan Harris and Nathan Rosenzweig)
• Juan Jose Torres Lara is on a team-best five-match win streak
• Dylan Moran, Harris and Rosenzweig have won their last four matches

UP NEXT

• Select players will compete in the CSA Individual Championships, being held Jan. 25-28 in New York City
• Official selections will be announced early this coming week

#5 Virginia 6, #7 Drexel 3

1 | Karim Elbarbary (VA) def. Haris Qasim (DREX) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9
2 | JP Tew (VA) def. Guido Lindner (DREX) 11-4, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6
3 | Juan Jose Torres Lara (VA) def. Youssef Bastawy (DREX) 11-6, 12-10, 11-2
4 | Yuri Pelbart (DREX) def. Max Velazquez (VA) 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5
5 | Dylan Moran (VA) def. Fritiof Jacobsson (DREX) 8-11, 11-2, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9
6 | Nathan Rosenzweig (VA) def. Charlie Taylor (DREX) 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
7 | Ewan Harris (VA) def. Dima Dumitru (DREX) 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9
8 | Sean Murphy (DREX) def.  Evan Hajek (VA) 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 13-11
9 | Tavneet Mundra (DREX) def. CJ Baldini (VA) 11-5, 11-7, 12-10
10 | Petr Nohel (VA) def. Darien Benn (DREX) 7-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10