Husky Upset Hopes Thwarted in New England

The University of Washington Squash Club’s undergraduate team took advantage of the long MLK weekend to travel to New England with hopes of upsetting a NESCAC school. Those hopes were nearly realized at Wesleyan as the Wesleyan won 5-4 (see previous post for details), with one of those wins including a five gamer that went into overtime in the last two games. Middlebury’s club team proved to be a more formidable opponent as they cruised to an 8-1 victory in a match played on neutral ground at Amherst. Middlebury easily beat the UW at positions 2-8 with Washington’s #1, Saumil Gandhi, preventing the shutout by beating JP Sardi 3-1.

Complete results will be available on collegesquash.orgsoon.

News from New England (UW vs. Wesleyan)

The Husky Squash team arrived in Boston via a red-eye flight yesterday morning. After an afternoon nap to recover from the effects of the overnight haul, the Huskies made their way through a downpour to Wesleyan University for a 6:30 p.m. match. Winning 3-0 at the top four positions, the team was went down in a heartbreaker, five matches to four. Matches of note include Gaurav Mehta's loss at the #9 position, 10-8 in the fifth, Rob Shaw's hard-fought win at #4, and international imports Paul Higson and Athol King's (#6 and #7) first exposure to intercollegiate competition. Individual match scores are available here. On tap today is a match vs. Middlebury College at Amherst, where we were generously hosted last night.

We have liftoff

The winter squash season is upon us, and it's about time the Husky squash site had a revamped look. So here it is; enjoy the show. Trips are planned to Boston, California (West Coast Round Robin), and the National Team Championships at Princeton University.

Annapolis debriefing

With 3 new players and only 4 weeks of practice, the 2005/06 Husky Squash Team tasted its first competition over the weekend of Nov. 11-14, at the 2005 Navy Squash Round Robin, in Annapolis, MD. The overnight cross-country flight, 5 matches in 3 days, and a first match weekendending injury to #5 Gaurav Mehta proved too much for the determined but weary Huskies, losing to Navy, Fordham, Haverford, and Connecticut College. Despite the disappointing team showing, there was lots of inspired play with #2 Julian Wolfson, #4 Rob Shaw , and #7 Evan Dengler each winning a match, while #1 Saumil Gandhi won two matches and #3 Norman Wilson raised the intensity of his play to score three victories. Other matches were narrowly lost in the 5th, and all Husky players competed for every point. During breaks between matches, the team toured the Naval Academy campus and the historic town of Annapolis. Weather was warm and sunny, and the trees were bright with fall color. The team spent Sunday afternoon touring the DC Mall, including stops at the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the WWII and Vietnam Memorials, and the Museum of American History, before heading to the airport. Defeated but not demoralized, the Huskies are determined to use the experience at Navy to sharpen practice sessions in preparation for an early February trip to the Bay Area for the 2nd annual West Coast Round Robin, hosted by Stanford. Thanks to Ayub Khan for his time in helping our new players prepare for competition. Author: Peter Langmaid