New York, NY- In the first road matchup this season, the University of Pennsylvania men's and women's squash teams picked up their ninth win of the year, moving to 9-0 and 2-0 in Ivy League play.

The top-ranked men's team took down sixth-ranked Columbia 7-2, while the fourth-ranked women's team defeated Columbia 7-2 from the SL Green StreetSquash Center.  

First to see the floor for the women was the wave of Sohaila Ismail, Avni Anand and Grace Lavin. Ismail was the first finisher of the day, taking down her opponent in four games and 26 minutes.

Anand and Lavin concluded the first shift just moments apart, to extend Penn's lead, 3-0. Although Anand dropped her opening game, she won the next three to win in four games. Lavin picked up a win in her first game, fell in game two, but held strong in the next two to take the match in four.

Franka Vidovic, Ashna Tumuluri, and Emma Wolf were second to take the court for the women. Vidovic dominated her match against the Lions, grabbing the win in three games and the fastest victory of the day at 24 minutes.

Tumuluri had to battle in her first and third games, winning by identical scores of 14-12, while she used a strong game two to sweep in three. Wolf labored through her first two games 16-14, and sealed the victory with a win in game three.

The last wave was highlighted by Malak Taha, Jana Dweek and Natasha Pensler. Malak, who played at the No. 1 spot for the Quakers fell in three games to her opponent.

Pensler, who was the last to finish for Penn competed in the longest match of the day for the women, at 42 minutes and earned the victory in four games, each within a two-point margin.

As for the men, Omar Hafez, Varun Chitturi and Hao Cui were the first set to see action against Columbia. Chitturi was the first to grab a win, with a 27-minute sweep for the fastest win of the day for the men.

Hafez was able to extend the lead to 2-0 for the Quakers, as he took down his opponent in four games and 51 minutes. Cui fell to his opponent in four games, in a nearly hour-long matchup.

The second wave featured Abdelrahman Dweek, Nicholas Spizzirri and Rehan Luthra. Dweek earned the third win of the day for Penn, defeating his opponent in three games in 30 minutes.

Spizzirri captured the sweep in 48 minutes to bolster Penn's lead. Luthra dropped three straight games after grabbing the win in game one to fall to his opponent.

The final shift for the Quakers showcased Nathan Kueh, Salman Khalil and Dana Santry. Although Kueh earned the victory by a close margin in game one, he dominated in the next two games for the sweep.

Khalil picked up his first career win, taking down his opponent in three games at the No. 1 spot for Penn. Santry was the last finisher on the day for the Quakers, who defeated his opponent in four games, including coming back from a 4-7 deficit in game four.

Women's Results
1. Chan Sin Yuk (Col) def. Malak Taha (P) 2-11, 2-11, 3-11
2. Sohaila Ismail (P) def. Erica McGillicuddy (Col) 11-7, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5
3. Franka Vidovic (P) def. Sarah Cao (Col) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3
4. Nourin Khalifa (Col) def. Jana Dweek (P) 0-1 RE
5. Avni Anand (P) def. Aleeza Khan (Col) 11-7, 11-4, 11-4, 13-11
6. Ashna Tumuluri (P) def. Amal Izhar (Col) 14-12, 11-7, 14-12
7. Natasha Pensler (P) def. Eugenia Li (Col) 13-11, 12-14, 12-10, 15-13
8. Emma Wolf (P) def. Advita Sharma (Col) 16-14, 16-14, 11-5
9. Grace Lavin (P) def. Kaavya Bansal (Col) 11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 11-9  

Men's Results
1. Salman Khalil (P) def. Franklyn Smith (Col) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9
2. Omar Hafez (P) def. Harold Castiaux (Col) 11-7, 3-11, 11-9, 11-9
3. Nicholas Spizzirri (P) def. Shaurya Bawa (Col) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
4. Nathan Kueh (P) def. Laszlo Godde (Col) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6
5. Varun Chitturi (P) def. Jacob Bulbulia (Col) 11-2, 11-6, 11-8
6. Abdelrahman Dweek (P) def. Zach Nam (Col) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6
7. Dana Santry (P) def. Paarth Ambani (Col) 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7
8. Rutvik Rau (Col) def. Rehan Luthra (P) 14-12, 6-11, 8-11, 7-11
9. Adam Goad (Col) def. Hao Cui (P) 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 11-13

Quotables
Coach Gilly Lane: "Great win for the guys today against a determined Columbia team. Really happy with how they dealt with the atmosphere in our first away match of the year. Looking foward to a great week of practice before Dartmouth and Harvard next weekend." 

Coach Jack Wyant: "Today was our first away match of the season. The women handled an enthusuastic crowd and talented team with poise at pivotal momenys. Excited to get back to work on Tuesday with the focus on preparing for Dartmouth and Harvard. We look foward to the support from family, friends and alumnae!"
 
Up Next
Penn will be back in action next weekend, when the Quakers take on Dartmouth on Saturday, January 21, and Harvard on Sunday, January 22, both at 12:00 p.m. from the Penn Squash Center.