The Dickinson men’s and women’s Squash teams both traveled to Haverford on Dec. 5 to face off against NESCAC powerhouse Tufts University. Both teams were able to pull out 6-3 wins over the Jumbos. With the win the men improve to 9-3 on the season while the women also added to their win total at 4-3.

Coming into the match the men had never beaten a NESCAC opponent in the young history of the program. Tufts ranked #26 nationally prior to the match, with Dickinson not far behind at #29.

Dickinson was able to completely dominate the match, winning the first six flights over the best players Tufts had to offer. Abdelrahman Elsergany ’19 led the way for the men once again, winning his match in four sets. After losing the opening set 12-10 he was able to reel off three straight over his opponent 11-4, 11-2, and 11-4.

Next Brian Hamilton ’19 and Hal Holappa ’19 had success against Tufts as they finished in four sets as well. Hamilton echoed Elsergany’s slow start as he dropped the first but rebounded for three straight wins. Holappa had a more dramatic decision, winning in the fourth set after trading the first two.

The freshman class did not let up as Cory Litman ’19, Andrew Strudwick ’19, and Harrison Mayo ’19 all added to the overall win total on the day in their matches.

The #27 Dickinson women’s team comparatively also had similar success in their match. The Tufts women’s team came in ranked #24 nationally. Like the men the top tier players all did well for the Red Devils. The first four flights posted wins over their Jumbo opponents en route to the 6-3 victory.

Hedvika Suchankova ’19 won the top flights in straight sets 11-8, 11-5, and 11-8. With the win she improved to 4-2 in her matches on the year. Teammate Domenica Romo ‘19 also did remarkably well in a tough match, rallying from behind after dropping her first set.

Nicole Deluca ’19, Stuart Lemay ’18, Sarah Clothier ’19, and Patricia Francis-Hall ’17 all won their matches to clinch the victory for the Red Devils. Deluca and Lemay won in straights for the third and fourth flights, while Clothier and Francis-Hall outlasted five set matches to secure the win.

It was certainly an impressive day for both of Coach Sachvie’s teams. With the men and women currently ranked and only improving, it should be an exciting second season for Dickinson. Both teams are incredibly young and talented which will only lead to more success in the future.

Despite the youth there are also several important veteran leaders on each team. For the men Nadim El-Jaroudi ’16 and John Mayers ’16 both have been with the program for two years, while Merritt Davis ’17 excels both both in the sqush court and on the field hockey team. 

They will have a few weeks off before they travel to the Pioneer Valley Round Robin on Jan. 15 where they will face several tough Northeast opponents.