Virginia men’s and women’s squash played in the CSA National Collegiate Team Championships this weekend, competing in the highest-level tournaments available — the Potter Cup and Howe Cup. The No. 5 men’s team (11-6, 4-2 MASC) finished within the top eight in the Potter Cup, while the No. 6 women’s team (12-6, 5-1 MASC) ended their tournament run in fifth.
Both tournaments included the top-12 seeded teams from the regular-season CSA rankings, with the top four earning a first round bye. Losers of the first and second rounds of play were sent to the consolation bracket.
Potter Cup
On the men’s side, the Cavaliers faced No. 12 Tufts in the first round of play Thursday — the first time that the two programs have ever met. Virginia made no mistake in the contest, winning in straight matches against the Jumbos (11-10, 7-4 NESCAC). Freshman Juan Jose Torres Lara sealed the deal for the Cavaliers in the fifth matchup, winning in straight sets.
Virginia showcased its depth by winning in straight sets in the top and bottom three positions, including senior CJ Baldini’s sixth straight victory. His win from the ninth position improved his record to 7-2 on the season.
Friday saw the Cavaliers take on No. 4 Trinity in the quarterfinals, a contest that quickly turned ugly for Virginia. The Bantams (13-3, 7-0 NESCAC) clinched the contest after the first five matches of the nine-match series had concluded, eventually triumphing by a 7-2 margin.
Trinity’s play from the top end was far superior to that of the Cavaliers, as graduate student Karim Elbarbary and Junior JP Tew dispatched in straight sets, in the first and second positions, respectively. Freshman Ewan Harris and sophomore Dylan Moran were able to get on the board for Virginia, with Harris winning a gritty four-set game that was originally tied at one game apiece.
Despite losing, the Cavaliers, along with the other losers of the quarterfinal games, were back on the court Saturday to play for further ranking in the consolation bracket. Virginia’s run for fifth place was quickly halted, though, taking defeat to Columbia, 5-4.
The Lions (8-8, 3-5 Ivy League) came out firing, and shot out to an early 3-0 lead. Elbarbary was able to momentarily stop Columbia’s momentum with a win in straight sets from the first position, but the Lions would go on to win the next two matches and clinch the victory.
Virginia kept fighting until the end, though, winning three straight to end the contest down by just one match. The Cavaliers have now finished their season within the top eight of the rankings for the fifth year running, a testament to Coach Mark Allen’s consistency. Yet, Virginia must be slightly disappointed with how things turned out, losing to a Columbia team that it defeated at the beginning of the season.
Howe Cup
On the women’s side of things, the Cavaliers similarly faced No. 11 Tufts to open their tournament run Thursday. The Jumbos (10-8, 7-3 NESCAC) were no match for Virginia, who defeated them by an 8-1 margin.
Graduate students Maria Moya and Meagan Best started the contest off strongly for the Cavaliers, winning from the fourth and first positions to gain an early 2-0 lead. Tufts would strike back in the third match, defeating freshman Maria Min in four games, but Virginia recovered and emerged victorious in all the following matches, punching a ticket to the quarterfinals.
The Cavaliers faced No. 3 Princeton in the quarterfinals Friday, a familiar foe that they had also played less than two weeks prior. The Tigers (12-2, 4-2 Ivy League) proved once again to be a step ahead of Virginia, taking the fixture 7-2.
Princeton struck early and fast, winning the first six matches, interrupted by junior Lina Tammam’s win from the second position. Sophomore Clare Minnis would also get on the board for the Cavaliers, defeating the Tigers’ sophomore Sonya Sasson in a five-set thriller at the seventh position.
After being thrust into the consolation bracket, Virginia did not let its spirits dampen. No. 7 Yale was next up, and the Cavaliers were quick in their dismantling of the bulldogs (6-8, 4-4 Ivy League). Best worked her magic from the first position as usual to seal the deal for Virginia after five had played. The Cavaliers would go on to win the first eight matches — en route to an 8-1 victory — to handily move on to the fifth-place tie.
With fifth place on the line, and the prospects of tying its best ever finish at the CSA National Collegiate Squash Team Championships, Virginia would need to be at their best against No. 4 Stanford Sunday — the same team that denied them a conference championship a month prior.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers bested The Cardinal (10-5, 3-1 MASC) by a 5-4 margin, cementing Virginia as a top-five program in the nation this campaign. The contest was an extremely competitive one, and the ninth match of play had to be the decider. The Cavaliers’ determination was on full display, something that Allen could not ignore.
“The women have fought like warriors all season long and have truly earned their finishing position of top five in the nation this year,” Allen said. “And it’s an appropriate send-off too for all six of our graduating girls who have given so much to this program throughout their time at U.Va.”
Although Stanford won the first match of the series, Virginia would storm back to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Tammam’s come-from-behind victory from the second position to give them the three-match lead seemed to be enough to end things, but the Cardinal would not go down so easily. Stanford stormed back to tie the affair and forced the pressure on Minnis to be the Cavaliers’ hero.
Minnis’ bout against the Cardinal’s freshman Tiana Parasrampuria exemplified how close the matchup was overall between the two squads. Parasrampuria took the first set 8-11, but Minnis fought back to win the next three 11-9, 12-10 and 11-3. When Minnis exited the court victorious, she was mobbed by her teammates.
Virginia’s celebratory end was indicative of their excellent tournament performance. Although neither the men’s nor women’s team were able to take home the national trophy, strides were made for both programs. The exciting young talent on both ends foreshadows future success under Allen’s leadership.
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