The men's squash team traveled to Providence to take on the Bears (0-3 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) Saturday in a test of Princeton's depth.
A sweep of No. 8 Brown showed just how deep the Princeton men's squash team is this season. Even without senior No. 1 David Yik and top recruit Yasser El Halaby, the Tigers (2-0, 2-0) managed to win each of their individual matches for a final score of 9-0.
Yik was suffering from illness and did not feel well enough to play. El Halaby, a freshman from Egypt, has not yet played a regular season match because he is still waiting for certification to play in the United States. According to head coach Bob Callahan, El Halaby should be playing with the team soon, hopefully by this weekend for the Five-Man Team Championships.
Each starter had to step up one or two spots to replace the absent players. But despite the two missing men, most of the Princeton players did not feel too challenged by their Brown counterparts, for five Tigers needed just three games each to defeat their opponents.
Senior No. 2 Dan Rutherford won 9-6, 9-1, 9-7. Sophomores Dent Wilkens (No. 5) and Nathan Beck (No. 6), beat their opponents 9-3, 9-4, 9-4 and 9-1, 9-6, 9-0, respectively. Nos. 8 and 9 also finished strong — freshman Will Boothby defeated his opponent, 9-3, 9-1, 9-2, and junior Will Osnato gave up only three total points as he took his match, 9-2, 9-0, 9-1.
Will Evans, playing at the No. 1 spot, had more of a struggle against his opponent, Ben Holiner. After accidentally being hit in the face by Holiner, Evans appeared shaken and dropped the first two games, 3-9 and 0-9.
"Will was thrown off his pace when he was hit," Callahan said. "That explains his sluggish start. But he came through in the end."
Evans came back in the third game, after being shut out the previous game, to win 9-4. He finished the last two games even more strongly, as he defeated Holiner 9-2 and 9-0 for an overall 3-2 victory.
The other three Princeton players took their matches by scores of 3-1. Senior No. 3 Eric Pearson won 10-9, 9-1, 1-9, 9-0, and junior No. 4 Aaron Zimmerman defeated his opponent, 5-9, 9-6, 9-2, 9-2. Sophomore No. 7 Rob Siverd dropped his second game but held on for a 9-3, 6-9, 9-4, 9-6 win.
Princeton proved it deserves its No. 2 national ranking with this solid victory over Brown, who lost to Penn in a close 5-4 match the following day.
But the Tigers are now looking to the Five-Man Team Championships this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut. They will continue to work hard this week with the goal of beating Trinity, the No. 1 team in the nation and Princeton's biggest non-Ivy competitor. Yik should be back from his illness by the weekend to help his teammates with the challenge.
After the Five-Man tournament, Princeton will have a few weeks off for winter break, though it won't be a complete vacation. According to Callahan, each player will be working individually to improve his game during that time.
Last Thursday's match against Franklin & Marshall was cancelled because of the seven inches of snow that blanketed Princeton.
The Tigers will not return to regular-season play until after the break. Princeton next faces Penn in more Ivy League competition on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Jadwin Gym.
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