Virginia squash enjoyed successes, both tangible and intangible over the weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference Championships in Charlottesville at its own McArthur Squash Center. The No. 5 men’s team (13-3, 4-1 MASC) competed in the Holley Cup, winning their fifth title in seven years, while the No. 5 women’s team (11-4, 4-1 MASC) fell in the final of the Gaynor Cup.
Both competitions split six teams into two pools, with the winner of each group advancing to the final. On the men’s side, the Cavaliers took down No. 25 Dickinson and No. 19 Franklin and Marshall in 9-0 sweeps, booking their place in the final against No. 6 Drexel. Similarly, on the women’s side, Virginia took down the No. 25 Red Devils and No. 12 Dragons in straight sweeps to earn the right to play No. 4 Stanford in the final. Sunday’s affairs would decide if the Cavaliers could defend their home turf.
Holley Cup
Virginia made quick work of Drexel (8-4, 5-1 MASC) in the final, claiming conference championship bragging rights. The win was especially meaningful, considering the Dragons had gotten the best of the Cavaliers in a regular season matchup less than a month ago. Coach Mark Allen emphasized this point postgame.
“The men were superb today, rising to the occasion and feeding off a packed home crowd,” Allen said. “Drexel got the better of us on their courts just three weeks ago, so to turn that result around, and in such emphatic style, was hugely impressive.”
Virginia would win the first five matches, immediately clinching the championship. All but one of the first five were decided in just three sets, with freshman Oscar Okonkwo gutting out a five-set victory from the sixth position to extend the Cavaliers’ quick start.
The final score was 8-1 in favor of Virginia, with its only loss coming in the final match when sophomore Nathan Rosenzweig lost a five-set thriller. Sunday’s showing was a dominant one for the Cavaliers, setting the expectations high for their upcoming clash with Trinity.
"Next week, our final match of the regular season, will see us play the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Trinity Bantams,” Allen said. “I'm excited to see the guys take them on and make the most of the opportunity."
Gaynor Cup
Virginia faced the Cardinal (10-2, 4-0 MASC) in the final round of the women’s side of the MASC Championships. In a similar fashion to last season’s encounter with Stanford in this exact setting, the Cavaliers fell by a 2-7 margin.
Virginia managed to secure a 1-0 lead thanks to an impressive performance by freshman Charlotte Pastel at the first position, but the Cardinal would equalize and then pull ahead, showing a greater clutch factor — of the matches that needed more than three sets, Stanford won five compared to the Cavaliers’ one.
Despite the scoreline looking a bit lopsided, Virginia was well and truly competitive during their matches Sunday, a fact that Allen didn’t spare.
“The entire team can feel good about the performance,” Allen said. “And just like last season, with the way the seeding is shaping up for Nationals, it’s very possible we’ll see Stanford again in three weeks’ time — with another opportunity to turn the result in our favor.”
Both the men and women will return to action Saturday when they face the Bantams at a neutral site in Philadelphia, Pa. The contest is set to start at 1 p.m.
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