NEW HAVEN, CT – The hangover from an intense, marathon semifinal loss caught up to the University of Rochester on Sunday afternoon, with the Yellowjackets falling to the University of Pennsylvania 5-4 in the 3rd place match at the College Squash Association Potter Cup tournament at Yale University.
 
2nd-ranked Rochester ends its 2018-19 campaign with a 14-4 record, the second most wins in a single-season in UR history, one shy of the record of 15 set back in 2007-08.  4th-ranked Penn improves to 14-4 with the win.
 
The fourth-place finish is the Yellowjackets highest since UR finished as national runner-up in 2015-16.
 
UR started the match on a high note, with Marcus Sim winning a tough five-setter over Karim Tarek at #6.  The two traded sets throughout the match, with Sim taking the deciding fifth, the scoreline reading 11-7, 4-11, 13-11, 4-11 and 11-7.
 
The Quakers would take the lead and never relinquish it though after taking the remaining two points of the first wave at #3 and #9.  At three, David Yacobucci held off a rally from UR's Matthew Toth, winning 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 9-11 and 11-3.  In the #9 spot, Max Reed won three straight after Sergio Martin took the opening game in his 3-1 victory (7-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-5).
 

Penn edged ahead 3-1 with a 3-0 win from Wil Hagen at #8 over Rodrigo Porras (11-4, 11-9, 11-7).  The loss was Porras' first of the 2018-19 season, as he ends the season with a remarkable 17-1 record, currently the second best single-season winning percentage in UR history (.944).
 
Michael Mehl then won over UR's Thijs Van Der Pluijm in four games, putting Penn within striking distance of the match, sitting up 4-1 in the overall team score.
 
Rochester hoped for a comeback, and got one, from Ricardo Lopez at the #2 position to stay alive.  After dropping the opening two games to Aly Abou El Einen 11-4 and 14-12, Lopez won three straight games (12-10, 13-11 and 11-8), to earn the point and keep UR in the match, ending the second wave with a 4-2 score.
 
The comeback was thwarted though in the first match finished in the third wave, as Penn's Yash Bhargava won 3-1 over first-year Cesar Segundo 11-3, 11-9, 11-13 and 11-9 at #7 for the clinching point.
 
UR's Lawrence Kuhn (#4) and Ashley Davies (#1) would end the match strong for the Yellowjackets posting wins, but it wasn't enough as Penn took the win 5-4 and third place in the nation.
 
Kuhn dropped the first game 11-8, but then won three in a row, 11-9, 11-5 and 11-8 for the win over James Flynn.  Davies posted another 3-0 sweep, his third in a row, defeating Andrew Douglas 11-9, 11-7 and 11-4 to close the match.
 
With the team portion of the schedule over, qualified individuals will next compete at the CSA Individual Championships at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from March 1-3, to close the season.