614 Days. That is how long it has been since the final team matches of the 2019-2020 college squash season, and it could not feel better as several teams gather for round robin competitions this weekend.
There always seems to be at least one match which provides some early season intrigue for fans, and this year is no different. Hobart College hosts the Chatham University men in upstate New York on Saturday in a battle between teams on the rise that are right next to each other (25th and 24th, respectively) in the preseason rankings that were released yesterday. The match will be an early season test for both squads which have added new talent – and in Chatham’s case this summer, a new coach, Chris Fernandez – in recent years.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges will also play host to the Chatham women’s team as well as the teams from Denison University. All three of those visiting teams are embarking on their first full seasons of varsity competition, an amazing milestone and a great landmark as the CSA hopes to continue to expand its geographic footprint into the Midwest.
Staying in upstate New York, Vassar College will be the home venue for a large round robin featuring a wide array of varsity and club teams. A big battle between Vassar and Fordham kicks off the festivities on Saturday morning, before Boston University, Northeastern, Swarthmore, the Colgate women, and the Georgetown men’s club team get involved in the action.
Speaking earlier of the Midwest, preseason men’s No. 21 Navy will get their season going with a valuable trip to the Hussain MetroSquash Center and the University Club in Chicago. There they will face University of Chicago this evening before a packed schedule against Indiana, Washington University in St. Louis, Ohio State, and Northwestern. It’s a quick trip back and a ramp-up in competition for Navy, which takes on No. 7 Virginia next week on Wednesday.
Other matches over the weekend include the University of Richmond men hosting Navy’s club team and University of North Carolina, Lehigh men facing Patriot League foe Bucknell and Princeton’s club team, and a Beantown battle between Wellesley and the Boston College women’s team. Additionally, the annual Ivy League Scrimmages are slated for this weekend at Yale University.
Hobart’s season-opening schedule does not get any easier when they head to No. 10 Rochester for a midweek clash on Wednesday next week.
The order of play for this week (Nov. 4-10) is:
- 3-court system: 3,2,1 / 5,4,6 / 7,9,8
- 5-court system: 1,2 / 4,3 / 6,5 / 7,8 / 10,9
View the full college schedules here:
College Squash Women’s Schedule
College Squash Men’s Schedule
Live Scoring will be available for many matches during the weekend on Club Locker – Men and Women.
Please also follow the CSA on Twitter (@CollegeSquash) and Instagram (@college_squash) for social media updates throughout the weekend.
