Racquetmen Crush Williams; Shutout is 72nd Straight Win

What can you say about a 9-0 match? Harvard was perfect. The Crimson didn't break a sweat. It was just another match. It wasn't even a match.

How about simply saying, "The nation's top-ranked Harvard men's squash team crushed Williams, 9-0, Wednesday in front of 60 spectators at Hemenway Gymnasium."

Williams shouldn't have been too upset about losing to Harvard by such a wide margin because thus far every other Crimson opponent has lost by the same margin. The triumph also increased the squad's winning streak to 72.

Harvard entered the match without the services of three of its top six players. Jim Masland, Jeremy Fraiberg and Farokh Pandole all missed the match because of injuries.

The Crimson started off strong with wins in the even-numbered matches. Senior Doug Cohen started off the rout with a 15-9, 18-14, 18-15 win over Kaven Khosrshai, while teammate George Polsky whipped Adam Kimberley 15-9, 15-6, 15-5.

At number six, Co-Captain Frank Huerta's speed and shot selection proved too much for Chris Pentz. Huerta blasted Pentz in straight games.

Co-Captain Doug Lifford cruised to a 15-9, 15-13, 15-13 triumph over Doug Gibert, while Jon Masland was never tested at number four. Masland captured a 15-9, 15-9, 15-5 triumph.

Raja Mahidhara, who moved up from the JV team, recorded a 15-9, 15-6, 15-7 victory, while Johnny Kaye captured a four-game decision over Rob Hallagann.

Rounding out the victory for the racquetmen were Jon Bernheimer and Charles Dowling, both of whom captured straight-game decisions.

"We were all very pleased with the effort," Assistant Coach Jon Anz said. "The guys took it extremely seriously. It's one of those matches that you hope the team goes out there and plays as well as they can."

On Tap...

This weekend, the Crimson will defend its national Division I and II national five-man titles at the United States Squash and Racquets Amateur (USSRA) tournament in Allston, Massachusetts.

The Crimson will have three teams of five players participating in the tournament. Last year Harvard had one team each in Division I and II. This year, the Crimson will have two teams in Division I and one in Division II, so the team which won last year's Division II tournament will be participating in Division I this time around.

It's really not that complicated.

"Mentally, they're ready, physically we're a little short," Anz said. "It's going to be a much tougher draw than last year."

Meanwhile...

In JV action, the Crimson recorded an 8-1 victory over the Ephmen. The Crimson eight wins were all shutouts. Seth Handy led the way with a 15-13, 15-11, 15-12 victory, while sophomore Mike Foster and freshman Colin Campbell gave up only 10 points en route to their victories.

At number three, sophomore Bobby Greenhill captured a 15-10, 15-5, 15-6 triumph, while teammate Dan Hutchinson cruised to a 15-10, 15-5, 15-6 victory.

At number six, seven and eight, Andy Goldfarb, Ernie Lee and Brian O'Callahan all recorded easy straightset victories over their opponents. Chad Larsen lost a tough 11-15, 15-11, 15-18, 5-15 to close out the competition.

THE NOTEBOOK: During Harvard's current 72-game winning streak, the Crimson has won 600 individual matches, while surrendering only 49...Harvard's three shutouts is one less than the team recorded last year...The Crimson has a 70 straight non-Ivy winning streak...Since 1956-57, the Crimson has posted a 150-2 record against non Ivy teams, including a 70-game winning streak against non Ivy teams. Harvard has won 36 consecutive home and road matches...The Crimson has also captured 31 straight Ivy matches.