NEW YORK – The Columbia men's and women's squash teams were defeated by Yale Saturday afternoon at the SL Greet StreetSquash Center in Harlem. On the women's side, Yale took a 6-3 win. The Columbia men were defeated in a tight match, 5-4.
 
WOMEN'S RECAP
Simmi Chan, Erica McGillicuddy and Aleeza Khan picked up wins for the Lions (2-6, 0-3 Ivy) in the 6-3 loss to No. 7 Yale.
 
Yale struck first before Chan answered with a 11-5, 14-12, 11-3 victory over Elisabeth Ross in the No. 1 spot. The reigning College Squash Association (CSA) National Champion used the sweep to continue her perfect record for the season.
 
The Bulldogs held a 3-1 lead before McGillicuddy earned a win to cut into the Yale lead. McGillicuddy prevailed in a five-game thriller over C. T. Y. Lau in the No. 3 match. McGillicuddy took the first, 11-5 before dropping the next two games, 5-11, 6-11. She stormed back to take the final two games, 11-6, 11-0 to seal the win.
 
Khan also pulled through in a five-game marathon to earn a win over Mika Bardin in the No. 5 spot. Khan took the first game, 11-7, before dropping the next two games, 9-11, 0-11. Khan bounced back to win the last two games, 11-7, 11-5 to capture the victory.
 
MEN'S RECAP
Columbia (4-4, 0-3 Ivy) played down to the wire against No. 5 Yale, but the Bulldogs won the last match of the afternoon to secure the 5-4 win.
 
Shaurya Bawa, Laszlo Godde, Zach Nam and Rutvik Rau recorded the Lions' four wins in the match. Godde posted the first Columbia win of the day with a 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 win against Max Forster in the No. 4 match. Nam worked quick to take an 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 victory over Lachland Sutton in the No. 6 spot. Rau defeated Merritt Wurts in the No. 8 spot, 11-7, 5-11, 17-15, 11-9.
 
Bawa highlighted the afternoon with a thrilling five-game victory over Maxwell Orr. Bawa won the first two games, 11-7, 12-10 before Orr responded by winning the next two games. The fifth game went to extra points where Bawa was able to pull away for a 13-11 win to secure the victory.
 
Saturday's contest came down to the final match between Harold Castiaux and Arav Bhagwati in the No. 2 spot. Castiaux and Bhagwati alternated games for the first four games to force a fifth game. Bhagwati jumped out to a lead early in the fifth game. Castiaux tried to rally back, but couldn't as Bhagwati won the fifth set and the match, 7-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-4, 11-8.
 
Men's Results:
No. 7 Columbia 4, No. 5 Yale 5
1 – Siow Yee Xian (YALE) def. Franklyn Smith (COL): 11-9, 11-4, 13-11
2 – Arav Bhagwati (YALE) def. Harold Castiaux (COL): 7-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-4, 11-8
3 – Shaurya Bawa (COL) def. Maxwell Orr (YALE): 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11
4 – Laszlo Godde (COL) def. Max Forster (YALE): 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7
5 – Tad Carney (YALE) def. Jacob Bulbulia (COL): 11-8, 11-5, 11-13, 11-7
6 – Zach Nam (COL) def. Lachlan Sutton (YALE): 11-5, 11-9, 11-3
7 – Nikhil Ismail (YALE) def. Paarth Ambani (COL): 11-7, 11-8, 12-10
8 – Rutvik Rau (COL) def. Merritt Wurts (YALE): 11-7, 5-11, 17-15, 11-9
9 – Brian Leonard (YALE) def. Adam Goad (COL): 12-10, 11-5, 4-11, 11-6
 
Order of Finish:
1, 4, 8, 6, 7, 3, 5, 9, 2
 
Women's Results:
No. 12 Columbia 3, No. 7 Yale 6
1 – Simmi Chan (COL) def. Elisabeth Ross (YALE): 11-5, 14-12, 11-3
2 – Sneha Sivakumar (YALE) def. Sarah Cao (COL): 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5
3 – Erica McGillicuddy (COL) def. C. T. Y. Lau (YALE): 11-5, 5-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-0
4 – Gigi Yeung (YALE) def. Nourin Khalifa (COL): 11-6, 11-3, 11-6
5 – Aleeza Khan (COL) def. Mika Bardin (YALE): 11-7, 9-11, 0-11, 11-7, 11-5
6 – Meghna Sreedhar (YALE) def. Amal Izhar (COL): 11-5, 11-7, 3-11, 11-1
7 – Layla Johnson (YALE) def. Eugenia Li (COL): 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4
8 – Rashi Goverdhanam (YALE) def. Kaavya Bansal (COL): 4-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-8
9 – Joy Qu (YALE) def. Advita Sharma (COL): 5-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7
 
Order of Finish:
4, 1, 8, 6, 3, 7, 5, 2, 9
 
UP NEXT
The men's and women's squash teams return to action Sunday when they welcome the top-ranked Trinity College men's and women's teams to the SL Green StreetSquash Center for a 1 p.m. match.
 
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