Aly Abou El Einen (Penn) and Kush Kumar (Trinity) (image: Michael T. Bello/mtbello.com)

Report courtesy of College Squash Association.

Saturday marked the semifinal round of the 2020 College Squash Association (CSA) National Collegiate Men’s Team Championships, and for college squash fans, it did not disappoint. With the full day in the books, the finals are set for a great culmination of the men’s team season.

All results from the first two days are available via the Tournament Homepage. The live streamed video of the first two days is available through the College Squash YouTube channel and can be accessed using the links on the tournament homepage as well.

The semifinals of the Potter Division presented a big contrast in results, but it is hard to choose which is more impressive. Top-seed Harvard welcomed Princeton to their home courts for the second time this season, and they replicated the result in dominating fashion. The Harvard players surrendered only three games in the entire match on their way to 9-0 win.

In the other semifinal, 2-seed Trinity and 3-seed Penn faced off in a monumental battle. Penn jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first wave by a razor thin margin after capturing two five-game marathons. Trinity’s big-game experience helped them persevere in the second wave, winning two out of three matches, keeping the win within striking distance. With the last wave of three matches on court at the same time, the final result was still in doubt when two of those contests entered their fifth game. Taking the bull by the horns, it was Penn’s Wil Hagen who struck first, clinching the winning team point for Penn, sending the Quakers to their first ever Potter Cup final in program history.

One of the matches in contention for Match of the Day was the Potter consolation semifinal between Yale and Virginia. Yale appeared to be in control, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but Virginia gradually turned the tide in their favor. Critical five-game wins at numbers 5 and 9 gave Virginia a shot, and then first-year sensation Aly Hussein completed the 5-4 comeback victory with a three-game win at number 1. Virginia will meet Rochester tomorrow for fifth place after the Yellowjackets exacted revenge on Drexel after losing to them in the regular season.

For more coverage visit csasquash.com.