The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams suffered losses Jan. 30 when they traveled to the No. 19 and 16, respectively, Middlebury College Panthers. The men fell in a close contest 5-4, while the women lost 6-3. The men’s overall record drops to 4-8 and the women’s overall record drops to 6-8.
The men got wins from Atticus Kelly, Luke Willemse, Michael Thompson and Cillian Dunne in the one, two, four and five spots, respectively. Kelly swept his Panther opponent Andrew Jung in three games. Willemse defeated his opponent in four games after losing the first game of the match. Thompson won in three games, sweeping Harrison Croll. Dunne won in four games after dropping the first game of his set.
Mark Kauf and Sebastian Dangond both forced a five game set but could not come out with a win for the Dragons.
On the women’s side, the Dragons got wins from Hayley Hughes, Ryan Morgan and Kaitlyn Money in the one, two, and four spots, respectively. Hughes beat Panther Saskia Pownall-Gray in a five-game battle. Morgan swept Anne Wymard in three games. Money staged a comeback in five games to secure a third win for the Dragons after being down 2-1 after three games.
Laura Rahauser lost a tough match in five games after putting in a strong effort. She had a 2-1 lead on her opponent Liddy Renner, but Renner was able to battle back and win for Middlebury. The other Dragon losses came in three game sweeps in spots three and six through nine.
The Drexel men and women travelled to Williamstown, Massachusetts, Jan. 31 to take on the No. 15 and 12 ranked Williams College Ephs.
The men earned a 6-3 win, snapping a four game losing streak and improving their record to 5-8 on the season. The women fell to the Ephs 6-3, moving their record to 6-9.
The Dragon men secured wins in spots one through four, seven and nine. Kelly began the competition for the men, winning in four games. Willemse, Ibrahim Bakir and Thompson followed, sweeping their opponents.
Nat Fry also won in four games, while Joey Gingold swept his opponent in the last spot to finish off a victory for the Dragons.
The women got wins in spots one, four and five. Hughes started off with a victory for Drexel, sweeping her opponent Nicole Friedman in three games. Money and Rahauser got the other two wins for the Dragons, fighting it out in five games.
Morgan and Mary Fung-A-Fat both dropped their matches in four games, while the Dragons suffered three game sweeps in spots six through nine.
The Dragons returned home to the Kline & Specter Squash Center Feb. 1 where the men’s team faced off against the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy. Drexel defeated Navy 7-2, the first win over Navy in program history.
Kelly started the Dragons off with a win over Midshipman Andrew McGuinness in five games in the first spot. Willemse followed with a win in three games. The other Dragon victories came in spots four through seven and spot nine. Dunne swept opponent Randy Beck. Thompson, Fry and Gingold all won their matches in four games, while Kauf battled it out in five games for the win.
Bakir and Dangond dropped their matches in four games, the only two losses for the Dragons during the competition.
The men and women return to action when they welcome the Dickinson College Red Devils Friday, Feb. 6.