It is common knowledge that the engine that runs the Harvard men's squash team revs higher and works harder. In a road test yesterday at Hemenway Gym, the racquetmen powered past Tufts, 9-0, lending more cerdence to the Crimson's reputation for cosmic greatness.

"At this point," said Jumbo Coach Bill Summers, "Harvard is 10 million light years ahead of us."

But the Crimson (6-0) insisted that this match, its first intercollegiate dual match since reading period, was just a collective shift out of neutral.

"This match was only a tune-up," Harvard Coach Dave Fish said, referring to next weekend's crucial matches against Princeton and Franklin and Marshall. "It was good for the guys to remember what it was like to be in a match."

If Tufts was afflicted by such forgetfulness, it was soon reminded that Harvard is synonomous with shutout. In their eight-year rivalry with the Cantabs, the Jumbos (4-7) have come up empty in the overall win column.

In the last seven years, Tufts has also been denied an individual victory. Yesterday, the miserly Crimson wouldn't even give up a single game.

Darius Pandole led the hosts in the top slot, dumping Jon Segal, 15-4, 15-12, 15-9. The Leverett House senior was stood up by the regular Tufts' number one, Rusty Hashim, who was on leave with the Malaysian National Team. Hashim took Pandole to five games last year before finally falling.

Harvard's numbers two and four, Co-Captain Russ Ball and Jon Bernheimer, seemed to be racing each other to finish first in the gallery matches. Jumbo Dan Jacobs delayed Bernheimer slightly, allowing Ball to bid adieu to Alan Bennello. Jack Colbourne at three and Paul Gardi at five also snagged easy victories for the Crimson.

"This was a good match to get the exams out of our system," said Colbourne, who later admitted that his exams weren't too hard anyway.

Some of Harvard's top players were able to work out last weekend at the Cowles' and Jacob's Tournamennts at the Harvard Club in New York. Pandole lost in the semifinals of the Cowles', while Bernheimer fell in the fifth game of the Jacobs' finals.

Other Crimson winners yesterday included Paul Gardi, Doug Cohen, Charles Downing, Bobby Greenhill and Raj Mahidhara.

Some of the Harvard players were sitting out yesterday's match, challenging one another for the middle varsity slots. Jack Polsky and Jim Masland were out nursing injuries.

"Basically, every muscle in my body hurts," said Masland.