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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Harvard (Quarterfinal)
Players Mentioned
Men's Squash Earns Semifinal Berth, Yale Rematch With 8-1 Victory
February 25, 2011 | Men's Squash
POTTER CUP BRACKET l LIVE COVERAGE
Following the narrowest of losses during the regular season, the Princeton men's squash team knew that if it took care of business, it would get one more shot at Yale this season, and it would come on a neutral site. By winning a match that was anything but neutral, Princeton now has that opportunity with a chance to play the biggest match of the year.
The third-seeded Princeton Tigers defeated CSA team championship host and sixth-seeded Harvard 8-1 in one of four Potter Cup semifinal matches. With all four higher-seeded teams winning, Saturday's semifinals will pit top-seeded Trinity against fourth-seeded Rochester (noon), and second-seeded Yale against Princeton at 3 p.m.
Though the final team score was not close, there were a handful of thrilling matches, especially at the bottom of the lineup. The highlight of the first shift came up the No. 9 position, where Princeton's Nikhil Seth fought off a hard-charging William Ahmed for a 3-2 victory. Seth took a 2-0 lead with wins of 12-10 and 11-4, but Ahmed followed with a pair of his own. The fifth was tight most of the way, including an 8-7 lead for Seth, and the Tiger senior won three of the final four to clinch the victory.
Princeton led 3-0 after the first shift, which included a 3-0 win for junior Christopher Callis at the No. 3 spot and a 3-1 victory for classmate David Pena at the No. 6 position.
The Tigers were able to clinch the match in the second shift, as senior co-captains David Letourneau and Peter Sopher both earned victories to open a 5-0 lead. Letourneau continued his Ivy League dominance with a 3-0 win over Reed Endresen, while Sopher won in four over Zeke Scherl.
The highlight of the shift came on the same court as the marathon at No. 9, and this one spanned even more points than the first match. Junior Clay Blackiston found himself down 2-1 after dropping a pair of 12-10 decisions, but he came back with a 12-10 win of his own in the fourth. He fought off Alexander Ma for an 11-6 win in the fifth.
With the team match clinched, Princeton won two of the final three matches. Sophomore Todd Harrity remained undefeated on the season with a 3-0 win over Gary Power at the No. 1 spot, while Harvard's Brandon McLaughlin picked up a 3-1 win over Kelly Shannon at the No. 4 spot.
Naturally, the marathon court held the longest match, and once again it went to a Princeton player in five. Senior Philip Sopher picked up one of his most impressive victories with a 14-12, 3-11, 16-14, 9-11, 12-10 win over Tom Mullaney.
Princeton will now face Yale, the two-time reigning Ivy League champion, for an opportunity to play in Sunday's national team final. The Bulldogs have won two in a row over Princeton, with both coming by 5-4 scores. With both lineups having changed since the regular season matchup in late January, the majority of Saturday's matchups will likely be new ones.
1 - Todd Harrity (P) d. Gary Power 6, 7, 10
2 - David Letourneau (P) d. Reed Endresen 7, 9, 1
3 - Christopher Callis (P) d. Richard Hill 3, 1, (4), 7
4 - Brandon McLaughlin (H) d. Kelly Shannon 7, 9, (4), 5
5 - Peter Sopher (P) d. Zeke Scherl 5, 5, (4), 3
6 - David Pena (P) d. Nigel Koh 9, (8), 5, 10
7 - Philip Sopher (P) d. Tom Mullaney 12, (3), 14, (9), 10
8 - Clay Blackiston (P) d. Alexander Ma (10), 8, (10), 10, 6
9 - Nikhil Seth (P) d. William Ahmed 10, 4, (6), (1), 8