NEW YORK — The sixth-ranked Columbia men's squash team started off the 2021-22 season with a 9-0 sweep of No. 12 Western Ontario. The match was contested Saturday afternoon at the SL Green StreetSquash Center.
The victory was the first for interim head coach
Joanne Schickerling, who took over both squash programs in October.
"I thought the men did really well today, especially for not playing in over 18 months" Schickerling said. "They all came out really prepared and ready for our first match. Even though the score showed 9-0, Western Ontario are a tough team. We did a really good job being patient and doing the work required to win our matches."
Columbia took the first three points courtesy of victories at Nos. 1, 5 and 7.
Velavan Senthilkumar played at No. 1 and defeated Western Ontario's Elliott Hunt without too much trouble, 11-6, 11-3, 11-1. Sophomore
Harold Castiaux also won in straight sets, while first-year
Jacob Bulbulia toughed out an 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 13-11 victory at No. 7.
Next on the courts were the Nos. 3, 6, and 8 matches. Co-Captain
James Wyatt stayed composed in three close games to defeat Akasham Rajogopaul at the No. 3, 12-10, 11-7, 11-8. First-year
Adam Goad won in straights at the No. 6, while fellow classmate
Ryan Chen won in a close four-game match, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9.
"There were some back-and-forth matches but we stayed really patient and positive and fought for every single point," Schickerling added.
Already with the match in hand, the Lions closed out the sweep with victories at Nos. 2, 4 and 9. Senior
Callan Hall took care of Dylan Deverill at No. 2, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, and first-year
Zach Nam also won in straights at No. 9. Co-captain
Chaitanya Shah defeated Taylor Carrick in a close match, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 to polish off the sweep.
Columbia competes again tomorrow, hosting No. 7 Virginia at 11 a.m. ET.
For the latest on the Columbia squash programs, be sure to follow the teams on
Twitter and
Instagram (@CULionsSquash), on
Facebook (Facebook.com/ColumbiaSquash), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.
No. 6 Columbia 9, No. 12 Western Ontario 0
(1)
Velavan Senthilkumar (COL) def. Elliott Hunt (ONT): 11-6, 11-3, 11-1
(2)
Callan Hall (COL) def. Dylan Deverill (ONT): 11-9, 11-9, 11-6
(3)
James Wyatt (COL) def. Akasham Rajogopaul (ONT): 12-10, 11-7, 11-8
(4)
Chaitanya Shah (COL) def. Taylor Carrick (ONT): 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9
(5)
Harold Castiaux (COL) def. Amin Khan (ONT): 11-3, 11-4, 11-6
(6)
Adam Goad (COL) def. Douglas Kosciukiewicz (ONT): 11-8, 11-8, 11-2
(7)
Jacob Bulbulia (COL) def. Antonio Mendes (ONT): 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 13-11
(8)
Ryan Chen (COL) def. Ben Boulanger (ONT): 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9
(9) Zach Nam (COL) def. Jason Herring (ONT): 11-6, 11-5, 11-7
(10)
Justin Ghaeli (COL) def. Griffin Manley (ONT): 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
