ITHACA, N.Y. — The men's squash team made its case to move up in the national rankings on Wednesday with a 6-3 victory over Rochester at Belkin International Squash Courts. The sixth-ranked Big Red secured the final three points of the match to break a 3-all tie and defeat the fifth-ranked Yellowjackets.
 
Cornell (11-1) never trailed, starting with a dominating three-game win at the No. 9 spot from freshman Abhijit Malik. Senior co-captain Owen Butler then locked up the Big Red's second point by staving off Rochester's Adam Perkiomaki in four-games at No. 4. The Big Red's third point came from sophomore Aditya Jagtap, who returned to the lineup in style with a come-from-behind five-game victory at the No. 2 spot,
 
Rochester (7-4) responded with the next two points to knot the match at 3 heading into the final three matches. Sophomore Ryan Todd then locked down his team-leading 11th victory of the season with a handy 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 victory over Oscar Lopez at No. 5 to pull the Big Red back ahead. Bryan Keating clinched the match with a three-game win at No. 7 before senior co-captain Nick Sachvie rallied for a four-game victory at No. 1 for the exclamation point.
 
Wednesday was the first time Cornell has defeated Rochester in its last six matchups – including two first-round matches in the Potter Cup quarterfinals. The last time the Big Red defeated the Yellowjackets was a narrow 5-4 victory at the Cornell Invitational on Jan. 23, 2009.  
 
Cornell returns home for its next match, also against a team above it in the national rankings, when No. 2 Trinity will serve as the opposition at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27. That match will also feature the sixth-ranked Cornell women's squash team against the Bantams.
 
No. 6 CORNELL 6, No. 5 ROCHESTER 3
Wednesday, at Belkin International Squash Courts; Ithaca, N.Y.
1. Nick Sachvie (C) def. Andres Duany, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10
2. Aditya Jagtap (C) def. Neil Cordell, 11-8, 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5
3. Faraz Khan (R) def. Arjun Gupta, 11-7, 11-1, 11-3
4. Owen Butler (C) def. Adam Perkiomaki, 11-9, 11-8, 5-11, 13-11
5. Ryan Todd (C) def. Oscar Lopez, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
6. Karm Kumar (R) def. Michael Sunderland, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
7. Bryan Keating (C) def. Xiaomin Meng, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4
8. William Mohr (R) def. Graham Dietz, 11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8
9. Abhijit Malik (C) def. Juan Herrera, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6