Men's squash beaten by nation's best, Trinity

If this weekend's match against Trinity was a preview of next weekend's national championship match, the Tigers are in trouble.

Princeton (7-1 overall, 6-0 Ivy League), undefeated going into their match against the Bantams, found themselves in a completely unfamiliar situation this weekend. For the first time this season, the Tigers did not come out on top.

On Saturday, Princeton traveled up to Hartford, Conn., for its toughest match of the season. The Bantams have dominated collegiate squash in the recent past — they have brought home the last four national championships. Though the Tigers have also earned many honors in the past few years, clinching their second consecutive Ivy League championship last weekend, they have consistently struggled against Trinity.

Going into the match, Princeton was optimistic about its chances in the top four seeds. As underdogs, the Tigers simply looked to show the Bantams what they've got.

The No. 1 match was a rematch between two international squash stars. Princeton freshman Yasser El Halaby defeated Bernardo Samper earlier in the year at the Five-Man Tournament. Samper seemed determined not to repeat history, however. He took the first game easily before going down 7-0 in the second. Still, the Colombian national champion fed on El Halaby's mistakes to take the next nine points for a 2-0 lead in the match. Samper then finished off El Halaby with a 9-0 win in the third game.

Princeton's only win

The match did start off, however, on a positive note for Princeton. Senior No. 2 Will Evans took three games out of four from his opponent to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

Princeton didn't have a reason to celebrate for long, though. At No. 4, senior Dan Rutherford dug himself into a hole early against Yvain Badan. With Rutherford down 2-0, a close third game finished in Trinity's favor, and Badan took the match, 3-0.

Princeton's No. 6, junior Aaron Zimmerman, and No. 8, sophomore Nathan Beck, met similar fates. Nadeem Osman refused to give Zimmerman any breaks, and Pat Malloy wouldn't budge against Beck, either. Both Bantams dominated their matches for final scores of 3-0.

After the even-seeded players stepped off the court, it was the Tigers' odd seeds' turn to try their luck against Trinity.

Following El Halaby's loss, sophomore No. 9 Rob Siverd struggled against his opponent, Carl Baglio. Siverd managed to tie the match at 2-2, but Baglio came out strong in the fifth game. The 3-2 Bantam win gave them a 4-1 edge in the overall match.

At No. 7, Trinity's Jonathan Smith proved too experienced for Princeton sophomore Dent Wilkens. Smith chalked up another 3-0 win for his team.

Senior No. 5 Eric Pearson, struggling with an injury to his ribs, couldn't keep up with his opponent, Regardt Schonborn. The Bantams again won by a score of 3-0.

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Senior No. 3 David Yik played Trinity's Nickolas Kyme closely. After losing the first game, Yik picked up the second. Kyme took the third game and held on in a close fourth game for a 3-1 victory.

Against the Bantams, Princeton equaled the number of individual losses it had suffered in its previous seven regular-season matches combined.

"We're all a little disappointed; we thought we would play them a lot closer than that," Princeton head coach Bob Callahan said. "But I've got to give credit to Trinity. They're the better team."

Next weekend's national championship tournament ideally would give the Tigers a chance to avenge this loss.

"Our goal is to get through to the finals and give it our best shot," Callahan said.

The cancellation of yesterday's match against Navy due to heavy snow will afford Princeton a day off to rest before practicing intensely for the tournament.

"[This match] has motivated us for next weekend . . . and we're ready to give it all we've got to win the national championship," El Halaby said.

Yik agreed. "A lot of us came out flat to begin our matches and paid for it. Despite today's score, I still think we can beat this Trinity team, and I hope we'll get a chance to show that next weekend."