Young M. Squash Team Starts Season With Sweep

The Harvard men’s squash team opened its season and league play by notching a weekend sweep of its opponents.

The Crimson (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) proved that even after losing seven members of its squad to graduation, it was still a tough team to beat.

“It was really important that we had a strong showing, especially since last season we graduated seven seniors, and I know a lot of people have been counting us out,” junior captain Verdi DiSesa said. “We had a good showing.”

With several new faces and some obstacles to overcome, the weekend provided Harvard with a chance to gauge the competition and its abilities.

The team will return to action after the Thanksgiving break in a league match against Dartmouth.

HARVARD 6, WILLIAMS 3

Despite two players on the injured list, the Crimson grabbed a decisive victory yesterday.

“We have a very strong group of guys,” coach Satinder Bajwa said.

The Crimson won each of the top five matches for the second night in a row, proving that despite losing last year’s national champion and former No. 1 Siddharth Suchde ’07, the men were not to be counted out.

“Sometimes, people step up,” Bajwa said. “Since we lost so many good players, the whole team feels that they need to train and perform and work better together.”

HARVARD 8, BROWN 1

In the season opener, the Crimson won in decisive fashion, beating the Bears on the road.

Harvard dominated five matches in straight games, dispelling any doubt about the quality of players and the new leadership.

“We certainly have a different team this season,” said sophomore Colin West, who won at the No. 1 position. “We got a lot of good freshmen this year, and we are not going to be the same team as last year, but I felt fantastic. I think we have lot of potential for improvement this year.”

There was no doubt about potential, as three freshmen—Richard Hill at No. 2, J. Reed Endreesen at No. 4, and Shawn Low at No. 9—won their first collegiate matches by 3-0 scores.

—Staff writer Vincent R. Oletu can be reached at voletu@fas.harvard.edu.