MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The No. 7 Franklin & Marshall men's squash team closed out action at the CSA Team Championships on Sunday afternoon with a narrow 6-3 loss to No. 8 Penn. in the consolation playoff of the Potter Cup (A Division). The loss gave the Diplomats' a 13-9 record to wrap up the season, while the Quakers finished at 9-7. The result also means F&M will be ranked at No. 8 to end the 2014-15 campaign.
The Quakers controlled the match at the top of the ladder by taking wins at each of the first four spots. Abhishek Pradhan proved to be a tough out at No. 1, forcing his opponent to five games, but suffering the 3-2 defeat (3-11, 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8). Pedro Veiga de Almeida was again solid at No. 5, taking an early 2-0 lead and holding on for a 3-2 win after capturing the fifth by an 11-9 margin.
Kareem Nabil Abdel Mawla climbed out of a 1-0 hole to take three straight at No. 8 in a 3-1 win (6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-4), while Gavan Hitchenor (No. 9) outlasted his opponent with a marathon 3-2 decision (3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-4).
Several Diplomats will return to the court on Friday to compete at the CSA Individual Championships, hosted by Princeton. More information on the three-day tournament will be made available on GoDiplomats.com later in the week.
#8 Penn 6, #7 Franklin & Marshall 3
1. Marwan Mahmoud (PENN) def. Abhishek Pradhan (F&MM) 3-11, 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8
2. Derek Hsue (PENN) def. Cole Osborne (F&MM) 11-7, 12-10, 3-11, 10-12, 11-9
3. Hayes Murphy (PENN) def. Dylan Cunningham (F&MM) 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10
4. Anders Larson (PENN) def. Alex Arjoon (F&MM) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7
5. P. Veiga de Almeida (F&MM) def. James Watson (PENN) 11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 10-12, 11-9
6. Augie Frank (PENN) def. Brian Henry (F&MM) 12-10, 11-5, 11-8
7. Rahil Fazelbhoy (PENN) def. Michael Sorochev (F&MM) 11-2, 11-7, 11-9
8. Kareem Mawla (F&MM) def. George Lemmon (PENN) 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-4
9. Gavan Hitchenor (F&MM) def. Tyler Odell (PENN) 3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-4
Exh. Chris Bown (F&MM) def. Michael Mutscheller (PENN) 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-2
