Top Six Carry M. Squash at Cornell

Wins at the top six positions propelled the No. 3 Harvard men’s squash team to a 6-3 victory over No. 5 Cornell on Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y.

As early as October, Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa had anticipated results like this one in previewing his team’s season.

“Sometimes we’ve relied on the middle core and the lower players,” Bajwa said. “Now we’re going to have to rely on the middle core and the higher-level players.”

Injuries to the Crimson’s top juniors—First-Team All-American James Bullock and Ziggy Whitman—forced many Harvard players to move up the ladder for the contest.

The Crimson (2-0, 2-0 Ivy) had a very tough time at the bottom of the lineup, as sophomores Bradley Allen and Indrek Vainu and junior Peter Wallach all played above their normal positions and suffered defeats to the Big Red (1-2, 1-2 Ivy).

However, the tenacity showed by the Crimson’s top six gave Harvard the victory.

“Everyone at the top of the ladder was very focused on winning our matches,” freshman Will Broadbent said. “We knew some of the guys at the bottom were a little inexperienced, so we had to execute at the top.”

Broadbent again led the attack for the Crimson at the No. 1 position, defeating fellow freshman William Cheng, 3-0. Broadbent, the runner-up in the United States Under-19 national tournament this past spring, continued his assault on the world of collegiate squash with a 9-6, 10-8, 9-6 victory.

“I’d played Cheng in Juniors and we’d had some real battles in the past so I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Broadbent said. “I was a little slow in the first game-and-a-half, but I was striking the ball really well and I was happy to win in three games.”

Cornell freshman Ben Bernstein was clearly overmatched by co-captain Dylan Patterson, who played in the No. 3 position after playing No. 5 in the Crimson’s opening match against Brown.

The seasoned Patterson gave Bernstein no hope for a comeback after a relatively close opening game, winning by scores of 9-6, 9-1 and 9-1.

“I was really fired up to play Bernstein,” Patterson said. “He is an up-and-coming squash player and he was acting pretty cocky, but I knew if I stuck to my game, I should have been able to win easily. I’m a lot more experienced and stronger after four years of college squash [than I was as freshman].”

In a battle of top-20 players at the fourth position, Harvard sophomore and intercollegiate No. 8 Mike Blumberg easily defeated No. 16 Tim Nagel in three games.

But while Broadbent, Patterson and Blumberg all defeated their opponents without dropping a game, sophomore Asher Hochberg, co-captain Thomas Storch and sophomore Gaurav Yadav were taken to the limit by the Big Red. Each came from behind to win in five games.

No. 2 Hochberg, No. 5 Storch and No. 6 Yadav each went down 2-1 to his Big Red opponent, but recovered to win and seal the victory for the Crimson.

Completing Bajwa’s intense fitness regimen during fall practice allowed each player to remain confident and maintain the composure necessary to come back after falling behind.

“I think conditioning was definitely a factor in those matches,” Blumberg said. “All three of those guys did a great job in really wanting the victory and their conditioning gave them the opportunity to win.”

Harvard now turns its attention to the USSRA Team Championship at Trinity this weekend. The top five players on each team will compete in the three-day event at Hartford, Conn.

The Crimson hopes to have Bullock back from the slight groin strain he suffered this week in practice. That, combined with the match experience Harvard’s younger players gained this weekend in his absence, should prove important in deciding Harvard’s fate.

“I think that the tough fight Cornell put up will really help us this weekend,” Broadbent said. “We know we are going to play some great players this weekend, and having some experience in close matches should prove invaluable.”

M. Squash 6, Cornell 3

1. Broadbent (H) d. Cheng 9-6, 10-8, 9-6

2 Hochberg (H) d. Soo 9-6, 5-9, 5-9, 9-6, 9-7

3 Patterson (H) d. Bernstein 9-6, 9-1, 9-1

4 Blumberg (H) d. Nagel 9-6, 9-5, 9-1

5 Storch (H) d. Greenberg 8-10, 9-7, 8-10, 9-6, 9-1

6 Yadav (H) d. Porter 6-9, 9-4, 9-10, 9-6, 9-1

7 Mosier (C) d. Allen 8-10, 9-2, 10-8, 9-6

8 Delany (C) d. Vainu 9-7, 9-6, 9-7

9 Greer (C) d. Wallach 9-3, 9-2, 9-3