ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 23--Vic Niederhoffer and the Harvard squash team came away from the national championships this weekend empty-handed.

The squash team, defending national titleholders and top-seeded in the competition, bowed to a Washington, D.C., squad in the quarterfinals, 3-2, after topping a tough Canadian team, 4-1, in the first round. Washington went on to win the final by beating Boston, 3-2. Al Terell and Terry Robinson turned in two wins apiece for Harvard.

Meanwhile, Niederhoffer reached the semifinals of the singles competition before bowing to veteran Henri Salaun, 2-15, 17-15, 15-7, 7-15, 15-12, in an incredible match that saw the referee bawl out both players, and Salaun apologize to the crowd for his behavior and Niederhoffer's.

Niederhoffer played brilliantly to reach the semifinals. The Crimson captain obliterated former Amherst star Tom Owens, 15-3, 15-5, 15-5, beat New Yorker Bill Tully 15-5, 15-12, 15-12, and whacked Claude Beer 15-3, 15-2, 15-11 after Beer eliminated Canadian champ Smith Chapman.

Vic started out looking as if he was going to blitz Salaun the same way. He ran to a 9-1 lead and then ran out the first game easily at 15-0. In the second he pulled away to a 14-12 lead, but whacked two shots into the tin and lost a three-of-Eve ofter played for the game. The players spilt the next two games, but Salaun won crucial prints at 12-15 and 22-12 to takes the east accorded.

The squash was sciatillating but the real show came in the legal battles over let calls. Niederhoffer's vociferous insistence that Salaun had interfered with him drew boos from the audience and infuriated remarks from Salaun; the veteran, too, called quite a few peculiar lets. Reforce Jack Tattin interrupted play once to tell the players "Cut it out and play squash--this game is disgraceful."

Salaun lost a four-game match in the finals to Ralph Howe, Yale's star of last year.