Columbia
Virginia
No. 8 Men’s Squash Takes Down No. 7 Virginia in Opener, 7-2
11/12/2023 4:43:00 PM | Men's Squash
Lions grind out close results for season-opening win
NEW YORK — The No. 8 Columbia men's squash team started off the season in winning fashion, besting No. 7 Virginia, 7-2, Sunday afternoon in its 2023-24 season opener at the SL Green StreetSquash Center.
The Lions pulled out three key matches in the first wave to take a commanding lead. First, it was Zach Nam besting Francis Hajek in four games with a 14-12 win to close things out. Moments later, first-year Shaurya Bawa pulled off his first collegiate victory in dramatic fashion in the No. 2 match (6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 17-15). Senior Rutvik Rau polished off a perfect opening wave with a five-game comeback win in the No. 8 match (6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6), rallying from two games down to defeat Andrew Barr in 57 minutes.
That had the Lions poised for victory. First-year Paarth Ambani shut out Charles Braff in three games for the fourth point. Then, it was first-year Laszlo Godde taking down Myles McIntyre in the No. 4 slot (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3) to clinch the result.
"It's really positive to start the season this way," Director of Squash Chris Sachvie said. "We start with Virginia every year and it doesn't feel like we've gotten the better of it in recent years. We got up for this match and rose to the challenge.
"The makeup of our team looks a little different with four first-years in the top nine. The returning players have also shown great improvement."
Columbia added to its victory with a 3-1 win from Harold Castiaux in the day's top-featured match. He battled Virginia's top player, Taha Dinana, for over an hour before pulling out the victory (4-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10).
The final two matches of the day came at No. 3 and No. 6. Franklyn Smith fittingly won Columbia's seventh point of the day in another grueling match, topping Krishna Mishra (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8).
The men's squash team returns to the SL Green StreetSquash Center on Sunday, November 19, to host No. 21 St. Lawrence.
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Players Mentioned
