HomeArticlesWeekend Wrap-up 1-29-2018: Dartmouth Men, Virginia Capture Key Wins

Weekend Wrap-up 1-29-2018: Dartmouth Men, Virginia Capture Key Wins

 

Tara Arya of the University of Virginia captured a key five-game win against Williams on Sunday.
Photo Credit: University of Virginia Athletics

The final weekend of January competition proved to be the most closely-contested yet for college squash teams across the country, as sixteen matches ended with a 5-4 scoreline.

The Dartmouth men, who moved up to No. 7 in last week’s Dunlop College Squash Rankings, captured home victories over No. 8 Rochester 5-4—where all nine matches went more than three games—and No. 12 Drexel 8-1. While Dartmouth was favored by ranking in each match, both opponents finished last season in the top six of the team rankings. The two wins are a major step towards Dartmouth’s goal of returning to the top division of nationals after dropping to the second division last season.

The University of Virginia found success during a packed road tip where its women’s and men’s team each faced four opponents. The No. 16-ranked women went 3-1—losing only to No. 12 Brown—and defeating No. 11 Williams on Sunday 5-4. The No. 16-ranked Virginia men went 4-0 on the weekend, including 5-4 wins over No. 13 Brown and No. 21 Middlebury.

The No. 1 Trinity men and No. 3 Trinity women each captured key victories. The women took out No. 5 Stanford 5-4, relying on top of lineup strength by winning the first four positions on the ladder. The men continued their unbeaten season by defeating No. 4 St. Lawrence 5-4, but were aided instead by their depth as they won the bottom four positions.

In other women’s action, a series of upsets were narrowly averted in 5-4 matches on Saturday, as No. 17 nudged out No. 22 Colby, No. 19 St. Lawrence beat No. 23 William Smith, and No. 25 Connecticut College bested No. 29 Vassar. On the men’s side, No. 22 MIT beat No. 21 Middlebury 5-4.

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