UW Update - US Naval Academy Round Robin

The University of Washington squash dawgs started their season on a positive note with two victories and two tight losses at the United States Naval Academy Round Robin held over the Veterans Day weekend.

Last year the UW ended the season ranked #15 of 31 club squash teams and 47 of 64 ranked teams overall (all but one varsity program was ranked ahead of UW). This season’s goal was to move into the top 10 club teams and top-40 overall.

The Huskies lost only #3 player Jai Padmakumar to graduation, while picking up a strong freshman, former top-16 US junior Clarence Ong, as well as Seattle local Arisha Jahan, so went into the weekend expecting to be stronger.

The weekend started on a positive note with a hard-fought but losing battle on Friday night with last year’s #37 team from Georgetown. The final tally was 5-4 for the Hoyas. Malcolm Daigle put up an outstanding fight at #5, pulling it out 11-9 in the fifth game.

Fordham, a varsity team and last year’s #39 ranked team, gave the UW our first win of the season, falling 8-1 on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon brought another varsity opponent, Haverford, last year ranked #36. Although Haverford won a tight match, 6-3, the match was highlighted by a gritty performance at #9 from Aman Bawa who pulled his match out, 13-11 in the fifth.

Sunday morning’s match with Navy was, as usual, a learning experience. The 15th ranked Academy won all nine matches, but Clarence Ong put up a valiant fight at #3, losing two of his four games in overtime, and taking a game from his opponent.

Sunday afternoon brought the most exciting match of the weekend, a team ranked #43 last year. The match was knotted at 4-4 after another hard-fought match from Malcolm Daigle, a 3-2 winner at the #5 position. All other matches except the #4 match were done and off court when senior captain Claudia Regio, a former US Junior Girls Champion, stepped on court against Richmond player Phillip Shannon. Regio lost the first game, then won the second. A significant toe injury was obviously limiting her mobility, making a win seem unlikely. However, shot-making skills honed over many years as a junior player eventually triumphed over the more mobile Richmond player as Regio won the last two 11-9, 11-9 to the cheers of her gathered teammates, making for a positive ending to the weekend and a happy flight home.

The UW is next in action at the end of January, with matches against Minnesota, Stanford, USC, Notre Dame, and Cal.