M., W. Squash Cruise by Five Opponents

Following up on two 9-0 routs of Brown two weeks ago, the Harvard men's and women's squash teams rolled over their five opponents on Saturday.

The No. 2 Crimson men (4-0, 2-0 Ivy) blanked Cornell, Colby, and Bates each by the count of 9-0.

The No. 3 women (3-0, 2-0) also impressed, handily beating Cornell 7-2 and sweeping Bates 9-0.

The men played near flawless squash despite the grueling three-match schedule on Saturday.

"This weekend we focused on playing solidly, doing what we need do to win and not making mistakes," said junior Shondip Ghosh, who played in the No. 2 spot. "It is important to gear up for each match mentally."

The men breezed by the competition despite playing without All-American captain Tim Wyant, sophomore Peter Karlen and sophomore David Barry. All three were competing in the Hartford Golf Club Open, an individual squash tournament.

"The team really stepped up to the challenge, and filled in for the three," junior No. 1 Grayson Witcher said.

The Crimson women also continued their undefeated season, easily beating Cornell and Bates.

"Bates is a developing team; we were much stronger," Crimson captain Blair Endresen said.

The Crimson's only two individual losses of the afternoon came at the hands of Cornell.

No. 1 player sophomore Margaret Elias lost to First Team All-American sophomore Olga Puigdemont-Sola.

"It was a tough match," Crimson Coach Satinder Bajwa said. "It could have gone either way."

The other Harvard individual loss came at the No. 5 position. Captain Blair Endresen, after going up 2-0, dropped the next three games to her Cornell opponent, losing 3-2.

"After the second game, she started playing harder squash," Endresen said of her opponent.

Despite its other matches on Saturday, Cornell was the clear focus of the day for both Crimson teams as they continued their campaign to defend their Ivy Championships.

The women have won seven of the last eight Ivy championships. The men are hoping to capture their 10th straight.

Both Harvard teams defeated Brown in the only other league matches this year.

"Cornell is stronger than they were last year," sophomore No. 2 Carlin Wing said. "It was a tougher match than Brown."

Saturday also marked Satinder Bajwa's first home match as the Crimson coach. And although it is still early in the season, Bajwa has only good things to say of his Harvard experience.

"It's been great," Bajwa said after the Bates match. "I give credit to our players--they work hard and don't show arrogance; they respect their opponents."

Based on the Crimson's combined 7-0 start and the response of his players, Bajwa seems to be poised to continue the program's success. Between the two teams, Harvard has captured 10 national champions since 1993.

The Crimson men's and women's teams are strongly connected--sharing a coach, a schedule, and a common spirit.

"The unity between the men's and women's team is the best part of the squash program," Endresen said. "Coach Bajwa wants the teams to be as close as we do."

Both teams will now have a long layoff before their next match, as they return to team match play on January 12th against Williams College.

"Williams has some strong players up top," Witcher said. "It will be more of a challenge."