Men's Squash Sweeps Amherst, Taking All but One Game

Bouncing back in dynamic fashion from a heartbreaking 5-4 weekend loss to No. 1 Trinity College, the No. 2 Harvard men's squash team (6-1, 3-0 Ivy) routed No. 14 Amherst College Thrusday evening, dropping only one game overall en route to a 9-0 sweep.

The Harvard players entered the contest with a business-like attitude, exhibiting proper respect for their opponents while at the same time expecting a victory, especially given the decline Amherst's squash program has suffered in recent years. Mindful of the vast talent differential between the two teams, Harvard Coach Satinder Bajwa advised his players to use their matches as an opportunity to experiment and expand their shot-making skills.

Harvard's even players took the court mechanically, eager to get on with the match, work out a few kinks, and get back on the bus with a win. For Harvard No. 2 Pete Karlen, however, there was an added source of motivation: his opponent was Amherst sophomore Piercarlo Valdesolo, who had played during Karlen's tenure as captain at Phillips Andover.

Karlen easily took the first game 15-4, as, despite the players' familiarity with each other, he succeeded in befuddling Valdesolo by varying his shots. In the second game, however, Valdesolo increased his intensity, using his speed and consistency to initially fluster Karlen. Before long, however, Karlen recovered, settling down to take the game 15-11 with some tricky front court shots that even the Amherst fans in attendance loved. Having gained the upper hand, Karlen refused to allow the tired Valdesolo to play himself back into the match, taking the third game 15-3.

"Karlen has improved tremendously over the past few years, but more importantly he is and always has been a great sportsman," observed Valdesolo.

At the No. 4 slot, Harvard's James Bullock easily handled Amherst's John Holodnak, 15-4, 15-2, and 15-7. The normally hard-hitting Bullock, heeding his coach's suggestion, used the match to try out a slightly softer game that would enhance his ability to dictate the pace of the match and work on other technical aspects of his play, including increasing his use of the side walls.

Isaac Whitman and Gaurav Yadav, Harvard's No. 6 and No. 8 players, respectively, also won their matches handily, with Whitman triumphing 15-3, 15-3, 15-6 over Ashley Ebersole and Yadav posting an equally impressive 15-3, 15-7, 15-3 victory over Sujay Desai.

The odd-numbered players then took the court, with the outcomes proving similarly pleasing to Harvard. Crimson No. 3 and co-captain Shondip Ghosh led throughout his match and, in his own words, "didn't need to do much" to vanquish David Bauer by a tally of 15-8, 15-4, 15-4. Consequently, he focused on adding a few variations to his game, attempting to incorporate more deception into his play.

Harvard's No. 5 Andrew Merrill also took home a 3-0 victory, shutting out Asad Haque in the first game before closing him out 15-7 and 15-8.

The Crimson's No. 7 David Barry had slightly more trouble with Amherst's Roger Boulay who, after losing the first game 15-6, eked out the second one 15-14 before succumbing 15-8 and 15-9 in the final two games.

The most exciting match of the day, though, was the pairing of No. 1 players in which Harvard's senior co-captain Deepak Abraham, the No. 6 player in the nation, took on Amherst's Addison West. West's great hands, skillful control of the ball, and flashy play gave Abraham a tough time, but in the end proved insufficient as Abraham triumphed 15-6, 15-14, 15-6.

This weekend, the Crimson visit the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday and then on Sunday travel to Princeton, who came to Cambridge last year and surprised a Harvard squad looking ahead to nationals to escape with a 5-4 victory.

This year, though, the Harvard players are determined not only to avenge the loss, but to make a statement that they are ready for anything. A victory over the Tigers, the only other undefeated Ivy team, would also solidify the Crimson's bid for the Ivy title and serve to build momentum for the Harvard men heading into their match at Yale on Feb. 21 and nationals, which begin two days later in New Haven. There, Harvard may very well find itself with another chance to dethrone two-time defending champion Trinity, a situation that, rest assured, Trinity would prefer to avoid.