The men won the Ivy League scrimmages, beating Columbia 9-0, Dartmouth 8-1 and Princeton 6-3. The match against Princeton was a surprise to some, who expected the team to fall to a Tiger team that was similar to the squad that Harvard narrowly defeated twice last year.

“It was close [against Princeton], but we clearly were the better team,” Barry said.

The men, like their female counterparts, also dominated the individual portion of the Ivy League scrimmages, placing seven Harvard players among the top 19.

“We were undoubtedly the most prepared and fit team there,” Karlen said.

Just as the women had done, the men dominated Brown 9-0, and every player won his individual match by the score of 3-0.

“We have a very committed group of individuals,” Karlen said. “We played well, and did what we had to do.”

“This win is an excellent way to start the season.

Both the Harvard squash teams have their eyes set on the dual prize of an Ivy League and a National Championship, and both teams started the season off on the right foot in pursuit of that goal.

“We were national champions last year, and we have no reason not to hope for the same result this year,” Colby Hall said.