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Virginia men’s and women’s squash host successful season openers

Both teams began the season with sweeping wins

<p>Neither the men's nor the women's team dropped a single match this weekend.</p>

Neither the men's nor the women's team dropped a single match this weekend.

The Virginia men’s and women’s squash teams opened their seasons Saturday at the McArthur Squash Center with wins over Franklin & Marshall, Richmond and North Carolina’s men’s team.

The Cavaliers looked to continue their success from last season, when the women’s and men’s teams finished 11th and 12th in the College Squash Rankings, respectively, and both won the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Squash Championships. 

This weekend marked the first time that the Virginia men’s team has opened its season at home since becoming a varsity program in 2017. 

The first matches of the day were against Franklin & Marshall. The Virginia women’s team jumped out to a quick lead with an early score of 3-0 following wins from freshman Sydney Maxwell, senior Sarah Doss and sophomore Emma Jinks. The team ultimately finished with a 9-0 win. 

The last meetup between the Cavaliers and the Diplomats was in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Championships last season, which the Virginia women’s team ultimately won. The Cavaliers have only ever conceded one point to Franklin & Marshall in their history as a varsity program — going 8-1 in a 2017 road match. 

The Virginia men’s team also opened 3-0 against Franklin & Marshall, with wins from sophomore Glenn Yates, junior Andrew Braff and freshman Aly Hussein. They prevailed 6-3, with Yates and freshman Omar El Torkey both clinching 3-0 match victories. 

Later in the afternoon, both the Virginia women’s and men’s teams swept Richmond 9-0. The weekend ended here for the women’s team, as its matchup against North Carolina was cancelled. 

However, the men’s team beat the Tar Heels 9-0, winning the first eight matches 3-0 and benefiting from a North Carolina forfeit in the ninth match. The matchup marks the first time the Virginia men’s team has played North Carolina since the 2017-18 season, when the Cavaliers claimed two 9-0 victories. 

The Virginia men’s team will host Navy Nov. 13, and the women’s team will travel to play George Washington University Nov. 19. 

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