No. 2 Yale Handily Defeats Harvard

The No. 6 Harvard men’s squash team entered its last match of the regular season against the No. 2 Yale Bulldogs hoping to repeat its strong performance that it showed against an undefeated Trinity team last Wednesday.

The Crimson (7-5, 3-3 Ivy) only took two matches from the Bulldogs (13-1, 6-0 Ivy), with the day ending in a 7-2 victory for Yale. The Bulldogs also went home with their second consecutive Ivy League championship title.

“As you could see it was a tough match,” Harvard coach Mike Way said. “We knew that we were up against the strongest team and that showed today.”

Last year, the Bulldogs overpowered Harvard, 8-1, in the final match of the season to earn the Ivy title.

Despite the loss, the Crimson left Barnaby Courts Saturday on a positive note after freshman and No. 1 Gary Power defeated his opponent in an extremely close and exciting fifth set. The victory gave Harvard its second individual win of the day.

Power, who had one of the three impressive victories in last Wednesday’s match against Trinity, took an early 3-0 lead in his first set and went on to win, 11-6.

The tables were turned in the second set when Power’s opponent took an early five-point lead. The freshman was unable to make a comeback, losing the set, 11-8.

Tied one set apiece, the third set played out similarly to the second, with Power again falling into an early 5-1 hole from which he was unable to recover. He lost, 11-7.

In the fourth set, Power came back, winning 11-8 and tying the match at two sets apiece.

At that point, it was anyone’s game, and Power made it his, quickly grabbing a 4-0 lead in the fifth set.

But his opponent battled hard, eventually tying the score, 9-9.

Power won the next point and was only one away from victory when his opponent scored twice in a row, going ahead, 11-10.

Just when it looked like it was all over, Power fought back to win the next two points, setting the score at 12-11. He was once again a single point away from success.

The crowd held its breath as the two players battled relentlessly in a rally that seemed to go on forever.

Then, with a quick stroke of his racquet, Power took the next and final point, winning the fifth set, 13-11, and the match, 3-2.

Though the team suffered a loss overall, Power’s victory helped his fellow teammates to finish the season motivated for the upcoming CSA national championships.

“I think Gary’s win here should really get the guys sparked and galvanized and ready to go,” said freshman Thomas Mullaney, who plays for the Crimson in the No. 7 position.

Mullaney provided Harvard with its first individual victory of the day, beating his opponent in just three sets.

The freshman comfortably won his first set, 11-7, after gaining an early lead. The second set proved to be closer, and, though at one point the score was close, 9-8, Mullaney was able to hold onto his lead once again, winning 11-8.

The real battle for Mullaney was the third set in which he quickly found himself in a 7-4 hole.

But, working hard to power through and grab another victory, he came back to score seven of the next eight points to ultimately win the set, 11-8, and the match, 3-0.

Saturday’s game marked the last home match for captain Reed Endresen and fellow seniors Richard Hill, Eliot Buchanan, and Quentin Auerbach.

“The guys fought valiantly,” Way said. “We’re going to build on this. We’re going to [make] ourselves better in two weeks time for the national finals weekend.”

Though both of Saturday’s victories came from freshmen, the team still owes a great deal of its motivation and success to its senior leadership. Endresen is one of those seniors who has shown perseverance to the underclassman, starting out in the No. 5 spot but moved up to No. 2 shortly after winter break.

“If you want to get better you just have to work hard,” Power said. “[Reed] a good example to everyone.”

“I’ve got nothing but my praise for my captain,” Way said. “He’s done a stellar job. They’ll be big shoes to fill. I’m very proud of him.”