ITHACA, N.Y. — The men's squash team started off a crucial weekend on a strong note Friday, defeating Penn, 8-1, and Hobart, 9-0, at Belkin International Squash Courts.
 
Cornell (8-5, 4-2 Ivy League) entered the weekend with its highest College Squash Association ranking of the season – seventh – but with the tall task of facing two Ivy competitors bunched nearby in the rankings. The Big Red defeated the first, eighth-ranked Penn, setting the stage for Sunday's noon match at ninth-ranked Princeton.
 
At stake is one of the coveted eight spots in the CSA's national championships, the Potter Cup. The Big Red finished eighth in the competition last season and remained at that placement this season until a Penn victory over Princeton last week bumped Cornell up to seventh, Penn up to eighth (from 10^th) and Princeton down to ninth (from seventh).
 
The Big Red defeated the Quakers (7-4, 3-3) on Friday for the eighth consecutive time in the all-time series. Three of the nine matches went to five games, with sophomores Gustav Runersjö (No. 5) and Graham Dietz (No. 7) emerging with victories. Seniors Nick Sachvie (No. 1) and Rishi Jalan (No. 6), and junior Aditya Jagtap (No. 2) swept their respective matches in three games.
 
Cornell then wrapped up the evening with nine three-game victories over 28^th-ranked Hobart. It's the sixth consecutive occasion in which the Big Red has not conceded a point to the Statesmen. Freshman Augie Jones (No. 8) won his first collegiate match in the top nine, and sophomore Geoff Keating (No. 9) won his first match of the season while in the top nine.
 
The weekend concludes with a trip to Princeton (5-6, 3-3), which defeated Columbia on Friday night, 7-2. Cornell defeated Princeton, 5-4, on Feb. 8, 2013 in the teams' last meeting. The Tigers were undefeated and ranked No. 1 at the time.
 
#7 CORNELL 8, #8 PENN 1
Friday's results; at Belkin International Squash Courts; Ithaca, N.Y.
1. Nick Sachvie (C) def. Tyler Odell, 11-4, 11-2, 11-1
2. Aditya Jagtap (C) def. Liam Quinn, 11-9, 11-2, 11-7
3. August Frank (P) def. Kevin Flannery, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8
4. Bryan Keating (C) def. Derek Chilvers, 11-9, 11-4, 11-2
5. Gustav Runersjö (C) def. Rahil Fazelbhoy, 8-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-9
6. Rishi Jalan (C) def. Michael Mutscheller, 11-1, 11-8, 11-9
7. Graham Dietz (C) def. George Lemmon, 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10
8. Abhijit Malik (C) def. John Dudzik, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6
9. Harry Freeman (C) def. Jack Maine, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7
Ex. Benton Turner (P) def. Geoff Keating, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6
 
#7 CORNELL 9, #28 HOBART 0
1. Nick Sachvie (C) def. William Abrams, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3
2. Kevin Flannery (C) def. Beau Orchard, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5
3. Bryan Keating (C) def. Felipe Pantle, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5
4. Gustav Runersjö (C) def. William Boyle, 13-11, 11-2, 11-9
5. Rishi Jalan (C) def. Danny Cabrera, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
6. Abhijit Malik (C) def. Michael Woods, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4
7. Harry Freeman (C) def. McGee O'Neil, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5
8. Augie Jones (C) def. Arthur Martella, 11-7, 11-5, 11-5
9. Geoff Keating (C) def. Scott Marcus, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4
Ex. Karan Kankariya (C) def. Ben Shapiro, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4