NEW YORK — No. 6 Columbia Men's Squash topped off an undefeated opening weekend with a solid 6-3 victory over No. 7 Virginia, taking two matches in five sets to lockdown home court on Sunday at the SL GreenStreet Squash Center.
It is Columbia's second win of the opening weekend, having beaten Western Ontario, 9-0, on Saturday, Nov. 13 to open the 2021 campaign.
Three of the matches went to five sets, with senior
James Wyatt and first-year
Adam Goad recording marathon victories to give the Lions a foundation they needed to win the match. Joining Wyatt and Goad with victories was sophomore
Harold Castiaux and first years
Jacob Bulbulia,
Ryan Chen and
Zach Nam, as the second half of the Columbia lineup came up big in the victory.
Wyatt's win, at the No. 3 spot, was an energizing one, going almost an hour and a half, the Lion senior used every ounce of his experience to come back from two sets down to inject Columbia with the juice they needed to come away with the overall win. After falling behind to Virginia's Taha Dinana, Wyatt found himself in a corner, but despite needing the extra point, Wyatt took the third set 12-10.
His 12-10 victory seemed to deflate Dinana but produce the opposite effect for Wyatt who snagged the fourth set 11-6. He then rode his self-created momentum to a fifth set 11-7 win to finish off the comeback and generate a loud cheer throughout the Lion supporters.
Goad, much like Wyatt, dropped the opening set in his five-set marathon at the No. 6 spot. But the Lion first-year quickly bounced back with a 13-11 grind it out second set win, and in the following set he snagged an 11-8 victory over Virginia's Myles McIntyre. McIntyre answered with an 11-6 fourth set win, but it was not a problem for Goad as he was unphased and returned the favor with his own 11-6 fifth set win to take the match and give the Lions another five-set win on the day.
Columbia's other wins were a bit more straightforward, with Columbia's student athletes taking their respective matches in straight sets. Castiaux (No. 5) took down Tyler Mackesy, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2, Bulbulia (No. 7) handled CJ Baldini, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5, Chen (No. 8) took down William Holey, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 and Nam (No. 9) finished off Andrew Barr, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4, solidifying the great performarnces turned in by the second half of the Columbia lineup.
The Lions return to action on Nov. 21 when they visit Franklin & Marshall, and Columbia returns to New York City on Dec. 3 when they host Drexel.
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 6, No. 7 Virginia 3
(1) Aly Hussein (UVA) def.
Velavan Senthilkumar (COL): 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
(2) Omar El Torkey (UVA) def.
Callan Hall (COL): MEDICAL DEFAULT
(3)
James Wyatt (COL) def. Taha Dinana (UVA): 9-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-7
(4) Cullen Little (UVA) def.
Chaitanya Shah (COL): 11-9, 11-4, 11-9
(5)
Harold Castiaux (COL) def. Tyler Mackesy (UVA): 11-6, 11-9, 11-2
(6)
Adam Goad (COL) def. Myles McIntyre (UVA): 9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6
(7)
Jacob Bulbulia (COL) def. CJ Baldini (UVA): 12-10, 11-5, 11-5
(8)
Ryan Chen (COL) def. William Holey (UVA): 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
(9) Zach Nam (COL) def. Andrew Barr (UVA): 11-1, 11-5, 11-4
(10)
Justin Ghaeli (COL) def. Francis Hajek (UVA): 13-11, 9-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6
