Granville, Ohio- Denison men's squash opened its 2025-26 campaign with a hard-fought 8-1 home opener loss to No. 6 University of Virginia. Throughout the evening matchup, the Big Red had at least seven games across the nine courts score seven or more points against the Cavaliers, keeping UVA on its toes. 

Despite the 8-1 loss on Senior Day, Denison found some moments to shine. The Big Red's top three courts pushed their matches to just about 30 minutes, with Alex DeLuca and Juan Felipe Hernandez keeping their games close, securing brief leads and crucial ties throughout their bouts. The length and speed of the Cavaliers proved to make the Big Red's first match of the season a difficult one, but scoring 134 points on the number six team in the nation is no small feat.  

Match notes

University of Virginia (CSA Ranking- 6th) 1-0

Denison University (CSA Ranking- 30th) 0-1

University of Virginia 8, Denison University 1

1. Juan Irisarri (UVA) defeated Juan Felipe Hernandez (DEN), 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-6)

2. John Paul Tew (UVA) defeated Charlie Fenwick (DEN), 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 11-5)

3. Dylan Moran (UVA) defeated Alex DeLuca (DEN), 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4)

4. Krishna Mishra (UVA) defeated Jackson Bragman (DEN), 3-0 (11-2, 11-6, 11-1)

5. Henry Raine (UVA) defeated Ross Falcon (DEN), 3-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-3)

6. Maxwell Velazquez (UVA) defeated Rayyan Arif (DEN), 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3)

7. Isaac Mitchell (UVA) defeated Aimaan Zakaria (DEN), 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-5)

8. Matthew Dayle (UVA) defeated Owen Mullaly (DEN), 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-2)

9. Wylly Molten IV (DEN) defeated Patrick Keller (UVA), 0-2 (retired) (2-11, 8-11, 1-4 RET)

10. (Exhibition) Oscar Okonkwo (UVA) defeated Gus Nelson (DEN), 0-3 (11-4, 11-9, 11-4)

Up Next for the Big Red

Denison returns to Granville, Ohio, to host the University of Rochester on Sunday, November 2. Matches are set to start at 10 AM ET, inside the Mitchell Center.