Squash teams fall to Cornell in Ivy finals

ITHACA, NY Cornell defeated the Columbia men’s and women’s squash teams on Saturday. The ninth-ranked men dropped an 8-1 decision to eighth-ranked Big Red. The eighth-ranked women dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to No. 5 Cornell.

On the women’s side, the Lions got victories Simmi Chan (2), Erica McGillicuddy (3), Nourin Khalifa (5) and Ellie McVeigh (8). Chan remained undefeated in the 2022-23 campaign, improving his record to 9-0. She beat Cornell’s Wen Li Lai in three games, including a thrilling third, 11-6, 11-8, 21-19.

McGillicuddy and McVeigh each won with five. McGillicuddy had the comeback of the day as she rallied from two games down to win the last three to defeat Aishwarya Khubchandan 4-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-4. McVeigh won his first two games, dropped the next two, but eventually held on for the fifth, 13-11.

Cornell took three of its eight points on the men’s side in five games. Those results came in handy Adam Goad (3), Rutvik Rau (6) and Ryan Chen (9). Goad and Chan each had two-game leads before dropping the final three games. Rau was cut in the fifth, 11-9.

The men’s team’s only win of the day came Jacob Bulbul (7). The sophomore picked up his third win of the year by beating Nicholas Robinson in three games, 11-9, 11-5, 13-11.

The men’s team will play two non-conference games next Saturday and Sunday against Rochester (Feb. 11) and Western Ontario (Feb. 12). The women’s team is preparing for the CSA Team Nationals, which is scheduled to be played on the weekend of the 17th-19th. February in Philadelphia. The Men’s CSA Team Nationals are next weekend, the 24th-26th. February, at Trinity.

Be sure to follow the teams for the latest information on Columbia’s squash programsTwitterandInstagram(@CULionsSquash), onFacebook(Facebook.com/ColumbiaSquash) or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.