No. 9 Men’s Squash Cruises Past No. 16 Brown, To Play No. 13 Princeton Saturday

Friday, February 26

New Haven, Conn.

9 a.m.

Drexel University

No. 16 Brown

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

No. 9 Men’s Squash Cruises Past No. 16 Brown, To Play No. 13 Princeton Saturday

2/26/2016 12:18:00 PM | Men's Squash

No. 9 DREXEL MEN [ Season Stats | Announced Lineups | Live Results ]
2016 B Division Hoehn Cup in New Haven, Conn.
Payne Whitney Gymnasium (Yale University)
Friday, Feb. 26 vs. No. 16 Brown | W, 9-0
Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. No. 13 Princeton | 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 28 | TBD

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 9 Drexel men's squash team (13-4) cruised past No. 16 Brown in the quarterfinals of the B Division Hoehn Cup matchup with a 9-0 victory on Friday morning. The men will now play No. 13 Princeton tomorrow in a Hoehn Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m. on the campus of Yale University.

It came as the Dragon's fifth 9-0 sweep on the year, one shy of the six from 2012-13.

Freshman Omar El Atmas and sophomore Atticus Kelly both earned comeback victories from the No. 1 and 3 positions in five-game matches. El Atmas dropped the first game but snagged the next two before Brown's Thomas Blecher tied it up 2-2 heading into the fifth. El Atmas earned the win with a convincing fifth game as he won 5-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2. He is now 14-1 on the season.

Kelly dropped the first two games of his match to fall into a 2-0 hole but the sophomore came back to win the next three for the 7-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5 victory.

Senior Ibrahim Bakir played his first match of the year from the No. 2 spot for the Dragons and grabbed an 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4 win from Brown's Jack Blasberg.

Freshman Bransten Ming, junior Michael Thompson, sophomore Noel Solomon and junior Nat Fry all won in sweeping fashions. Ming from the No. 4 position, 11-2, 15-13, 11-6, over Oliver Booth. Thompson against Foster Huff, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6, from the No. 6. Solomon from the No. 7, 11-5, 11-5, 11-9, over Alex Demeulenaere. Fry from the No. 9 position, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, against Benjamin Caraballo.

Thompson improved to a team-best 15-2 on the campaign with a seven-match winning streak while Ming grabbed his 13th win.

In the No. 5 spot, sophomore Luke Willemse defeated Philip Demeulenaere, 11-1, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, for his fifth-straight win.

Senior Joey Gingold improved to 10-5 on the season with an 11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6 decision over Charles Blasberg.

The matchup with No. 13 Princeton was set after the Tigers defeated No. 12 Franklin & Marshall this morning, 6-3.

The Drexel men defeated Princeton earlier this season when the Tigers were ranked No. 8. The Dragons earned a close 5-4 win at home on December 1, 2015. At the time it was Drexel's high-ranked win in program history, a mark that was tied when the Dragons defeated No. 8 Columbia on the final day of the regular season on February 13, 2016.

FOLLOW ALONG
Recaps and results will be posted to drexeldragons.com following each men's and women's match. The College Squash Association will also be providing updates throughout the weekend.

No. 9 Drexel 9, No. 16 Brown 0
1| Omar El Atmas (Drexel) def. Thomas Blecher (Brown); 5-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2
2| Ibrahim Bakir (Drexel) def. Jack Blasberg (Brown); 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4
3| Atticus Kelly (Drexel) def. Alexander Baldock (Brown); 7-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5
4| Bransten Ming (Drexel) def. Oliver Booth (Brown); 11-2, 15-13, 11-6
5| Luke Willemse (Drexel) def. Philip Demeulenaere (Brown); 11-1, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8
6| Michael Thompson (Drexel) def. Foster Hoff (Brown); 11-6, 11-7, 11-6
7| Noel Solomon (Drexel) def. Alex Demeulenaere (Brown); 11-5, 11-5, 11-9
8| Joey Gingold (Drexel) def. Charles Blasberg (Brown); 11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6
9| Nat Fry (Drexel) def. Benjamin Caraballo (Brown); 11-4, 11-6, 11-5