Harvard Gets Past Early Season Test

At the end of one of many long rallies with Dartmouth sophomore Chris Hanson, Harvard freshman Gary Power played the ball directly into the bottom right corner of the court. The ball hit just above the tin and quickly dropped, bouncing just out of reach of Hanson’s racquet.

With that final point, Power claimed victory over the 2010 first-team All-American at the No. 1 spot, helping the No. 5 Crimson men’s squash team (3-0, 2-0 Ivy) extend its undefeated streak to three matches. Harvard defeated the seventh-ranked Big Green (3-1, 0-1) last night at Barnaby Courts by a score of 7-2.

“I was not just delighted with [our team’s] performance, I was proud of the behavior of both teams,” Crimson coach Mike Way said.

After the first game of the No. 1 men’s matchup—a narrow 12-10 victory for Powers—the final match of the day began to draw a crowd. As nearby contests finished, players on both the Harvard and Big Green sides trickled over to Court 1, overflowing the stands until every player and all of the spectators glued themselves to the match.

Hanson won the next two games, 11-9 and 11-8, respectively, after the pair traded points for the majority of both sets. In the fourth game, Power took control, dominating his opponent, 11-2, before eventually securing the final game, 11-7, to claim victory.

“That’s some of the best squash I’ve ever played,” Power said. “I’m really happy with the outcome, because [Hanson] is a very good player.”

The entire Crimson team looked strong as it handed Dartmouth its first Ivy League loss. Sophomore Zeke Scherl rebounded after dropping his first game of the night to secure one of Harvard’s seven victories in four games. In addition to Scherl and Power, five other Crimson players also claimed victories over the Big Green, with freshman Brandon McLaughlin posting an especially impressive performance at the No. 3 spot in the lineup.

But the team victory for Harvard did not come without difficulty. Dartmouth gave the Crimson its first true test of the season, picking up wins at the No. 2 and No. 5 spots. The overall team match was closer than it looked, as the Big Green took nine sets against Harvard players.

At the No. 2 spot, senior Richard Hill dropped a tight match to Dartmouth, 3-1, despite winning the second game by a score of 11-5. Captain Reed Endresen was similarly defeated by his Big Green opponent, 3-0.

“This [Dartmouth] team is much better than they come across,” Power said. “[Their number seven national ranking] doesn’t quite do them justice, because we’re really close to them.”

“This weekend, we’re playing Rochester and Cornell,” he continued. “They’re No. 4 and No. 6 in the country, so I think this match has really prepared us well for the weekend.”

Each member of the Crimson freshman class remains undefeated in his college career, as the four rookies in the lineup defeated their Big Green counterpart by a collective score of 12-3.

“The freshmen are doing extremely well,” Way said. “Of course, the two top freshmen, Gary and Brandon, are such that they’ve brought this dimension, this new aspect to the team.”

“I’ve said it before,” he added. “But, they’re very instinctive players and they’re very attacking players. These aspects [of their style of play] rub off on the players you would classify as more defensive.”

Last night’s matches, particularly the No. 1 and No. 2 contests, featured a greater number of lets and strokes than the typical squash match. Though numerous controversial calls increased tension between competitors, Way was impressed with his players’ composure throughout the match.

“There was some maturity that I saw tonight that I hadn’t seen in some other matches with some players,” Way said.

Harvard appears ready to continue its quest for an Ivy League title after last night’s key victory over Dartmouth.

“[Tonight’s win] builds more confidence and the single biggest thing in sports is confidence,” Way said. “Of course, because it’s a tough match, there’s also a mindset that helps players prepare for [subsequent tough matches].”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.