Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Pennsylvania
Thrilling Freshman Win Highlights Crucial 6-3 Men's Squash Victory
January 26, 2005 | Men's Squash
Jan. 27, 2005
PRINCETON - A loss to Cornell earlier in the season left Princeton no room for error, and the Tigers played with that sense of purpose in a 6-3 win over the Penn Quakers.
Freshman Robert Hong won the match of the night, topping former Penn No. 1 Richard Repetto in a 3-2 thriller. Hong lost the first game before coming back to win the next two. Repetto took the fourth game, but it was Hong who had the answers late in the fifth game. He earned the individual victory with a 9-7 win.
Princeton won each of the top four matches, including a close victory for sophomore Preston Comey at No. 4. Yasser El Halaby (No. 1) and Michael Gilman (No. 3) both cruised to 3-0 victories. Penn took the No. 5 and No. 6 matches, but sophomore Vincent Yu and senior Rob Siverd each won at No. 7 and No. 8 to clinch the match. Yu, who played No. 2 last season but spent the entire offseason dealing with an illness, is getting back into match shape and proved once again that he can win key matches. Siverd did the same, which is nothing new to the senior. As a freshman, Siverd rallied for a 3-2 win to help Princeton clinch the Ivy League title.
The win sends Princeton to Yale this weekend with some momentum. Yale is one of two unbeaten teams in the Ivy League, along with Harvard. The last time these teams met at Yale, El Halaby fought off a match ball in the third game and rallied to defeat Julian Illingworth 3-2 in a match that helped clinch the 2003 Ivy League title. Those two players are scheduled to meet again, renewing one of the best rivalries in college squash. El Halaby is 2-0 against Illingworth in the regular season, but the Yale junior defeated El Halaby in last season's national team tournament. This match will help determine the top seed in the 2005 national individual tournament.
Results: Princeton 6, Penn 3
#1 position: Yasser El Halaby, Princeton vs Gilly Lane, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 9-4, 9-0 9-0.
#2 position: Robert Hong, Princeton vs Richard Repetto, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 3-9, 9-6, 9- 1, 6-9, 9-7.
#3 position: Michael Gilman, Princeton vs Ben Ende, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 9-1, 9-5, 9-0.
#4 position: Preston Comey, Princeton vs Jason Himmelrich, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 9-5, 9-7, 7-9, 10-8.
#5 position: Tom McKay, Princeton vs Lee Rosen, Penn. Penn won with scores of 2-9, 5-9, 5-9.
#6 position: Parker Sutton, Princeton vs Spencer Kurn, Penn. Penn won with scores of 9-1, 4-9, 9-1, 7-9, 6-9.
#7 position: Vincent Yu, Princeton vs Eric Bardiwell, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 9-3, 10-8, 9-2.
#8 position: Rob Siverd, Princeton vs Colby Emerson, Penn. Princeton won with scores of 9-7, 9-2, 9-6.
#9 position: Scott Callahan, Princeton vs Drew Crockett, Penn. Penn won with scores of 2-9, 6-9, 2-9.
#10 position: Greg Callahan, Princeton vs Will Simonton, Penn. Penn won with scores of 1-9, 6-9, 1-9.