Crimson Preps for Dual Ivy Matchup

The Harvard men’s and women’s squash teams have dominated so far this season. Collectively undefeated through five contests, the squads have won 44 individual matches while only dropping one.

But the competition is about to get a little tougher—at least for the men.

Both the No. 1 women (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) and the No. 5 men (2-0, 1-0) face Dartmouth this Wednesday at the Murr Center in the Crimson’s second Ivy League match of the season.

On the men’s side, the No. 7 Big Green (3-0, 0-0) is Harvard’s highest-ranked opponent of the young season. The Crimson defeated then-No. 14 Brown and then-No. 11 Williams last week.

“Williams and Brown—they’re not bad teams, but they weren’t really going to push us,” freshman Gary Power said. “But on Wednesday, we’re definitely going to be pushed, so it’s a good judge of where we are right now.”

The Harvard women have already faced higher-ranked teams than No. 8 Dartmouth (2-0, 0-0). In fact, last week, the Crimson dismantled No. 6 Stanford, winning 9-0. But Harvard refuses to underestimate its opponent.

“Dartmouth’s a really good team this year,” captain Alisha Mashruwala said. “They’ve improved a lot in the last year. They got some good players, so I think it’ll be a fun match.”

In 2009, both the Crimson men and women beat the Big Green, winning 6-3 and 9-0, respectively. But the real drama occurred off the playing surface, as rowdy Dartmouth fans yelled derogatory remarks at the Harvard women and made comments towards Frank E. Cohen ’10 that his parents took as anti-Semitic. Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim subsequently issued an apology to Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust and wrote an email to the Dartmouth community condemning the harassment.

But to the players, last year’s incident doesn’t change anything.

“As far as the Harvard team is concerned, we’re over that,” senior Richard Hill said. “We’re very excited [for the match], but not in a way that is malicious or vindictive.”

MEN’S SQUASH VS. DARTMOUTH

While the match against the Big Green is the biggest test so far, it’s just the beginning of an important stretch for the Crimson men. Over the weekend, Harvard heads to New York to face off against No. 4 Rochester and No. 6 Cornell.

“Beating Dartmouth would give us a lot of momentum…[and] a huge confidence booster for this weekend,” Hill said.

To defeat Dartmouth, Harvard will once again have to lean heavily on its freshmen, who make up three of the top four and four of the nine players in the lineup. So far, the rookies have played lights out, going 8-0 in matches while losing just one game.

“They’ve played a huge role so far,” captain Reed Endresen said. “They’ve done a great job stepping up and just being leaders.”

No freshman has risen to the challenge more than Power, who currently holds the top spot for the Crimson. But this week will be his toughest test on the collegiate level so far, as he faces the Big Green’s Chris Hanson. A first team All-American, Hanson was the eighth-best collegiate player in the country last year.

While Power beat Hanson twice when in Juniors, the Dartmouth sophomore’s game has grown significantly since the two last met.

“Hanson has improved over the last season…[and] he has a ton of experience,” Hill said. “That being said, I’m very confident Gary can [win]…he’s very confident, he’s very strong, and he definitely always rises to the occasion when it matters the most.”

WOMEN’S SQUASH VS. DARTMOUTH

After winning last year’s CSA national championship, the women’s squash team has continued its high level of play, dispatching Brown, Stanford, and Williams, all by scores of 9-0.

But, victory may not come as easily over the Big Green. Dartmouth’s top nine consists of seven returning players, and by all accounts the team has improved greatly since last year.

The contest has added significance given that it is an Ivy League match. For Harvard, beating the Big Green would be an important first step in taking the league crown again.

“They’re a strong team,” sophomore Laura Gemmell said. “It’s…an important match for us, so everyone’s taking it seriously.”

Gemmell, last year’s CSA individual champion and Harvard’s No. 1 player, has handily won her first three matches of the season. But, of those opponents, just one broke the top fifty in last year’s rankings. She faces her toughest competitor of the year in Dartmouth’s Valeria Wiens, a first team All-American.

“She’s a very good player,” Gemmell said. “I’m expecting a really good, tough match with her.”