After taking home second place in the annual NESCAC tournament, falling to Trinity College, the men’s and women’s squash teams worked hard going into the final tournament of their season — nationals — which would be the ultimate test of their strength. The three days at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, Pa. would define the Jumbos’ spot in the rankings. Only the top 12 teams in the country qualify for the best division of the national tournament, and this was the team’s second consecutive year making it there as the men came in ranked No. 12 and the women at No. 11. Both teams hoped to break the top 10 by beating some of the most competitive teams in the country, but they fell just shy and will have to work extra hard to come back next year to earn their place.
Both teams started the tournament with matches against the University of Virginia, ranked No. 5 on the men’s side and No. 6 on the women’s. A consistently top-ranked team, the Cavaliers triumphed over the Jumbos 9–0 against the men and 8–1 against the women. No. 3 seed senior Riddhi Joshi was the sole winner, taking down Maria Min in four games.
In the first consolation bracket, the men faced Cornell University, who they had lost to 8–1 earlier in the season. A repeat matchup occurred with No. 4 junior Jared Chin taking home the only win, sweeping Rohan Iyer 11–9, 11–3, 11–7.
For their first consolation match the women faced off against Columbia University, who they had lost to 7–2 back at the beginning of the season in November. While they managed to edge closer this match, they lost 6–3. The wins came from No. 4 first-year Sohni Vermani, No. 7 senior Aleezah Burhan and No. 8 first-year Indira Moshi. However, while the score shows otherwise, the team came very close to beating the Lions with three matches going to five games, which anyone could have claimed. Down in her match 2–1, Joshi battled back to force a fifth game and while she could not pull through, the final game was a nailbiter that ended 12–10 in favor of Columbia. No. 9 sophomore Chloe Bergam faced a similar situation to Joshi, forcing a fifth game but dropping it 11–7.
“Even getting close to this level is historical for this program,” senior Nieve Monderer wrote in an email to the Daily. “When I came to Tufts, we were [ranked No.] 18 in the country and now we are right there with these top 10 programs. Besides Trinity (who won the national championship), we are the only [NESCAC team] in this top 12 tournament. Such an accomplishment!”
After losing their first two matches, the teams had one last chance in the playoff of the first consolation bracket. The men faced Williams, who they lost to by one match in the regular season but then narrowly beat in the NESCAC tournament to earn their spot in the finals. In a high-pressure moment, the 5–4 loss was heartbreaking.
No. 2 sophomore Aarav Gill dominated Nick Agger, taking him down 11–7, 11–7, 11–5. No. 3 senior Kerwin Teh followed suit, winning his match in four games, and Chin earned his second individual win of the tournament at the fourth spot in just 21 minutes. No. 8 junior Shivin Kumar also found a win, taking down Causey Green 3–1. In almost an hour of battling, No. 9 sophomore Emerson Wang fell in five games with a final score of 11–7, 11–8, 8–11, 5–11, 9–11.
After their loss against Columbia, the women played Dartmouth, who they had beaten 7–2 in January. In a hard-fought match, the Jumbos could not manage to take the win, losing 5–4. Wins came from the middle of the ladder with No. 4 Vermani, No. 5 first-year Anika Goyal, No. 6 Monderer and No. 7 Burhan. While Burhan took home the only five-game win for Tufts, the team forced Dartmouth to five games for every single match they won. No. 1 junior Vharsha Dinesh and Moshi even came within two points of winning their matches, one of which would have clinched the team’s win.
“The match against Dartmouth was one of the best and most competitive matches I've ever been a part of in my four years here,” Monderer wrote. “Everyone put every last bit of energy and effort into their matches. It came down to a matter of literally 2 points.”
However, the team has not forgotten all of the work that they put in this season and the accomplishments that they have achieved. “This was a historical season for Tufts Women’s Squash, and I can’t wait to see what this team can accomplish in the years to come,” Monderer wrote. “I know everyone is going to be training hard in the off season and is feeling fueled for next season.”
Despite the losses, the trip back to Medford was anything but somber. “The feeling on the bus ride home was that we had an awesome year, and we felt pleased about everything we did even if [it] didn’t end exactly as we wanted,” Head Coach Joseph Raho wrote in an email to the Daily.
In terms of moving forward, the team will take time to reflect and reset their goals. “We will also set the schedule for next year and start planning how the year will look,” Raho wrote. “It is a perfect time to get into the gym and get really strong for next year. … When the team is happy and content they play so well and we need to keep doing everything necessary to keep our players in an upbeat mindset. That will definitely be an emphasis for next year. It is always something we are focused on, but it will continue to be one of my top priorities.”
