Squash Dawgs win 1, lose 5 at Navy

(Posted Dec 4th, 2011) The UW Husky undergraduate squash team traveled to Annapolis, Maryland over the Veterans’ Day weekend to compete in the Navy Round Robin, coming  away with one victory in six matches.  However, the team remained undaunted as the five losses were all in matches where a win would have been a big upset. 

The UW went into the matches ranked 40^th in the College Squash Association poll (includes both club and varsity programs) out of 65 teams.  The Dawgs were spanked by Navy, a top 20 team, by 9-0.  Swarthmore, ranked #46, took the match at number one where Husky Johann Huang lost a tough four-gamer, but lost the other 8, giving the team an 8-1 win.

Losses to Kenyon, Georgetown, Drexel and Johns Hopkins all came by identical 7-2 scores.

Outstanding performances were turned in at the #1 and #2 spots by sophomore Johann Huang (3-3 on the weekend) and junior Jack Burgess (4-2 on the weekend).  Burgess has given the team a big lift as he spends his junior year at UW instead of his home University of Sussex in England where he plays #1 for their team.

Next up for the Squash Dawgs are Stanford, Cal, USC and Notre Dame at the West Coast Round Robin, Stanford, California in January.

Seattle Juniors dominate at US Junior Open

Amanda Sobhy (NY) finished off a stellar 2010 by defeating fellow American and defending champion Olvia Blatchford (CT) in three straight games, 11-9,11-7, 11-4, to capture the GU19 title at the 2010 U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships in Cambridge, MA. Sobhy's win capped off a remarkable showing by the U.S. girls as they took home the top prize in every age division.

The GU17 division final proved to be the most competitive as Olivia Fiechter (PA) rebounded from a two game deficit to beat Maria Elena Ubina (CT) in five games,7-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5. Reeham Sedky (WA) prevented a Sobhy double as she took home the GU15 crown by defeating Amanda Sobhy's younger sister Sabrina in the final, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10. Helen Teegan (WA) stopped Jessica Yacobucci (CT) in three straight, 18-16, 11-4, 11-2, for the GU13 top spot while Elena Wagenmans (WA) got by Elle Ruggiero (PA), 11-9, 11-3, 11-9, winning the GU11 title.

Sallem Khan (WA) had the top finish for the U.S. boys, reaching the BU13 final before losing to Egyptian Mohamed El Shamy in a four game final, 11-7, 10-12, 11-2, 12-10.