Racquetmen Breeze, 9-0

Tufts hasn't won a match against the Crimson racquetmen since 1980, and even though it's seven years later, nothing for the Jumbos has changed.

The Harvard men's squash team crushed Tufts, 9-0, in Medford yesterday, upping its consecutive game-winning streak to 53 and overall season record to 6-0.

The Crimson won all of its matches in straight sets except the number-one match, in which racquetman Darius Pandole defeated Tufts' number-one player, Rusty Hashim, 3-2, in five sets.

Even though junior varsity players James Gilfillan, Seth Handy, and Jim Maslend played instead of regular starters Kevin Jernigan, Doug Cohen and Greg Lee because of Harvard's overpowering strength, the Jumbos still couldn't break through the Crimson wall.

"The team [Harvard] played pretty tough--it was workmanlike squash," Assistant Squash Coach Peter Dinneen said. "All around we had more experience than they did and more weapons. Our guys did well."

Harvard's most important match of the year comes Saturday when number-one ranked Harvard faces number-three ranked Princeton in New Jersey.

Although the Crimson defeated number-two Franklin and Marshall, 7-2, on January 16 and Princeton lost to F&M, 6-3, on January 31, the Tigers' number-one player, Jeff Stanley, is seeded number one in the nation, and Princeton is the last team to beat Harvard.

"It's anything goes against Princeton--they are the toughest rivalry we've had in years," Dinneen said. "It will be a full house and incredibly loud."

This past weekend, Pandole--who is ranked number three in the country--won the Harvard Club's Harry Cowles Tournament, a three-day invitational featuring many of the nation's top 20 amateur players.