Virginia squash competed in its first two contests away from the McArthur Squash Center Friday and Saturday. The No. 6 women’s team (4-2, 0-0 MASC) was defeated by No. 1 Harvard, but took care of business handily against No. 11 Dartmouth. On the men’s side, the No. 6 Cavaliers (4-2, 0-0 MASC) were victorious versus the No. 5 Crimson and No. 12 Big Green in close affairs.
Friday and Saturday’s matches represent the end of a tough early-season test against non-conference opponents. Both the men’s and women’s teams have had their only losses come against great squads — all of which are ranked in the top-10. Heading into conference play, Virginia should be confident in their chances to run the tables in the MASC.
Women’s game 1 — Virginia 2, Harvard 7
The Cavaliers came up short in their only loss of the weekend slate, getting beaten soundly by Harvard (3-0, 1-0 Ivy League) by a 2-7 margin. The Crimson clinched the contest within the first five matches and proved to be a step above the Cavaliers at this point in the season.
Sophomore Clare Minnis and freshman Claire Pellegrino were victorious for the Cavaliers from the sixth and eighth spots, respectively. Friday saw Minnis improving to 3-1 on the season, and Pellegrino stayed undefeated. Both have been among Virginia’s most consistent players this campaign, something that Coach Mark Allen highlighted.
“Harvard is always a tough opponent, and our women certainly fought their hearts out yesterday in a 7-2 loss,” Allen said. “Clare Minnis and Claire Pellegrino continued to prove their durability.”
Although she was defeated while playing from the first position, graduate Meagan Best put up a great fight, stretching the match to all five games versus Harvard’s junior Sarah Nghiem, who captured the individual national title last season. Best has led the Cavaliers by example so far this year.
Men’s game 1 — Virginia 5, Harvard 4
On the men’s side of things, Virginia earned a hard-fought victory against the Crimson (3-1, 1-0 Ivy League) in a 5-4 thriller — the match marked the Cavaliers’ first ever victory against Harvard.
Freshman Juan Jose Torres Lara kept up his impressive start to his collegiate career, winning his match in the third pairing and improving to 3-1 on the year. Sophomore Dylan Moran also had a stellar performance, sweeping his opponent while playing from the fifth position. The middle game ended 20-18 after neither side could break the deadlock for an extended period.
This win over the Crimson could not have come at a more perfect time. After being beaten soundly by Yale and Pennsylvania previously this season, Virginia proved Friday that on its good days, it can compete with the best squads in the nation — a fact that Allen emphasized.
“The 5-4 win our men took against Harvard on Friday is a major step forward for this program and shows how mentally and physically tough we can be,” Allen said.
Women’s game 2 — Virginia 9, Dartmouth 0
Following Friday’s loss, the Cavaliers bounced back in dominant fashion the next day, sweeping Dartmouth (2-2, 0-1 Ivy League). After Best triumphed in the first position in a five-game thriller, Virginia took control. None of the other matches required all five games to add to the Cavaliers’ win column.
Junior Lina Tammam was authoritative in her victory from the second pairing, beating her Big Green opponent by an average margin of seven points. Additionally, freshman Anna Shumway picked up her first victory of the season in her Virginia debut.
Men’s game 2 — Virginia 6, Dartmouth 3
The Cavaliers kept their energy from Friday going, defeating Dartmouth (2-2, 0-1 Ivy League) 6-3. Despite Virginia losing three of the top four pairs, the depth of the squad ended up being a huge x-factor in the victory.
Torres Lara and freshman Ewan Harris were once again exceedingly impressive for their first collegiate season. Both are heading into the winter break with 4-1 records and have been massive additions to the team.
The name of the game seems to be momentum for Allen, who understands that these early season games are critical for the success of the season.
“We will enter the second half of the season with some tremendous momentum on the back of this weekend,” Allen said. “And we will look to put even more of a stamp on the record books for U.Va. squash as we move into the 2025 side.”
Despite not playing again until January, the Cavaliers will aim to keep up their good run of form during conference play. Both face Dickinson and Drexel on Jan. 18 and 19, with the games starting at 1 p.m. and noon, respectively — although the women squeeze in a match versus Stanford beforehand Jan. 13, which is set to start at 7 p.m.
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