POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Haverford College Men's Squash team (3-4) ran its win streak to three with a takedown of No. 26 Connecticut College, 6-3, before an 8-1 triumph over No. 33 Vassar in Liberty League action at the Kenyon Squash Courts on the Vassar College campus.
# 28 Haverford 6, #26 Connecticut College 3
Against Connecticut College, the Fords delivered yet another upset victory, this time taking down the 26th-ranked Camels in neutral site action. After beating Connecticut College three times in 2022-23, Haverford went winless against the NESCAC foe in 2023-24. Saturday represented an opportunity to get back on the right foot in the rivalry. Haverford again showcased strong depth with wins at the fourth through ninth spots on the ladder to take the win.
Despite setbacks at the top three flights, where Noah Tunis, Aaryaman Jaising and Kai Schinaman fell in tough matches, Haverford looked poised in the upset win. The Fords responded with resilience in the middle and lower positions, as Henry Jiang' notched a straight-games win over Noah Fish (11-9, 11-3, 11-7) at the fourth flight.
Tarun Sargunar delivered a dramatic victory at No. 5, edging Gordon Fairborn in five games, including a decisive 13-11 win in the fifth (10-12, 11-3, 11-1, 8-11, 13-11). Qianzhi Zhao delivered with a solid performance at No. 6, defeating Gabe Solonsky (11-6, 15-13, 11-5), while Garret Fantini dominated Oliver Machiels (11-1, 11-7, 11-2) at No. 7.
Francis Betkowski added to Haverford's momentum with a straight-game victory over Andrew Nemphos (11-5, 11-8, 11-6) at No. 8, and Arvin Krishnan also notched a dominant performance against JJ O'Garo (11-5, 11-3, 11-4) at No. 9.
In exhibition play, Ted Pyle pushed Zachary Heffer to four games, narrowly losing to his Camels opponent, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 13-11.
#28 Haverford 8, #33 Vassar 1
The Fords flexed their depth across the ladder in an impressive 8-1 victory over Vassar. In the first Liberty League action of 2024-25, Haverford claimed eight of nine flights.
At the top flight, Haverford's Noah Tunis set the tone with a commanding straight-games victory over Vassar's Konstantinos Georgallides, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8. The match at the second flight saw Aaryaman Jaising follow suit with an equally dominant performance, dispatching Jarid Haslinger 11-4, 11-4, 11-8. Jaising's consistency and precision proved insurmountable for his Brewers opponent.
Perhaps the match of the day came at the third flight, where Kai Schinaman staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Kyle Benson. After dropping the first two games, Schinaman roared back to take the next three games, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, in a five-game thriller. Haverford's No. 4, Henry Jiang, also needed four games to outlast Matthew Okulski. Jiang overcame a second-game stumble to win 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4.
Further down the ladder, Haverford dominated the middle and lower flights. At the fifth flight, Tarun Sargunar conceded just 10 total points in a 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 win over Gabriel Lugo. At the seventh flight, Francis Betkowski was equally efficient, giving up only 14 points in his 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 victory against Daniel Smith. Arvin Krishnan turned in a decisive performance at No. 8, allowing just 11 points in an 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 sweep of Will Knauss.
In a hard-fought contest at No. 9, Zadoc Bond rebounded after dropping the opening game and battled through five tight games to edge out Joseph Donato, 4-11, 11-4, 11-1, 9-11, 11-9.
The lone win for Vassar came at No. 6, where Razaan Lalji emerged victorious in an epic five-game battle against Garret Fantini. Despite a valiant effort from Fantini, Lalji eked out the win, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6.
In the exhibition flight, Ted Pyle delivered a commanding straight-game win over Wyatt Kern, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5.
Haverford has now wrapped up the 2024 portion of the schedule, as Men's Squash will next be in action on January 17 at No. 27 Wesleyan (4 p.m.). Haverford then takes on No. 30 Denison (12:30 p.m.) and No. 26 Connecticut College (12:30 p.m.) in neutral site action to wrap up the weekend.