The men's squash team rounded out a tough showing at the Maine Invitational with just one victory over their three-game weekend slate. The nationally ranked No. 22 Jumbos fell to some of the NESCAC's most talented squads, Bates and Bowdoin, while squeezing out a close win over non-conference foe George Washington.
Suffering crushing defeats at the hands of Bates and Bowdoin on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Jumbos mustered their remaining strength to take on the nationally ranked No. 23 GW Colonials. Facing a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Colonials, the Tufts squad had little time to recover from its loss to Bowdoin just minutes earlier. Bruised and battered, the Jumbos came out with resolve in their final match of the Invitational, unsure of what to expect from a Colonials team that has not faced off against Tufts since the 2004-05 season. Despite strong shooters on the Colonials' roster, the Jumbos' game of consistency allowed them to control the T and pull out their sole win on the weekend, 6-3.
"We were disappointed that we lost against Bowdoin, but we had no time to really process it," sophomore Alex Gross said. "We had to play GW a half an hour later. We inhaled some power bars, cookies and Gatorade and got ready to play ... GW ran the court well, so we were winning in either four games or a tough fought three sets."
"GW had more shooters than Bowdoin did," junior Zach Bradley added. "GW attacked the front court, so we played more of a consistency game to beat them by keeping play in the back corners so that they would have to move back and be less able to get us with tight shots in the front of the court."
With one loss already under their belt, the Jumbos came out on Saturday morning with more success on the court and hopes that they could upset the nationally ranked No. 18 Bowdoin Polar Bears. Gross and No. 6 junior Scott Leighton battled it out in the beginning and middle of the lineup, respectively, but both succumbed in four sets.
On the back end of the lineup, senior tri-captains Josh Levinson and Brian Rassel pulled out wins at Nos. 8 and 9, but it proved to be too late for a Jumbo squad that struggled to adjust to Bowdoin's shot tactics and ultimately surrendered a 7-2 decision. The combination of Bowdoin's ability to retrieve shots and its depth through the middle of the lineup was enough to put the Jumbo squad away.
"Bowdoin was a much closer matchup, but it was their last home match, and they had home crowd support," Levinson said. "We went in knowing they were a higher-ranked team, so we just went in with nothing to prove. We tried to play our best and, like Bates, there were some really close matches that aren't reflected in the final score. Alex Gross picked up a game and Scott Leighton had a tough match as well. We weren't happy with the 7-2 final, but we were coming off a hard fought match against Bates and, considering Bowdoin was favored, we were successful in putting up some wins."
"The Bowdoin opponent I played was very unorthodox," added Gross, who was defeated in four games. "I'm a runner and don't shoot a lot, so it was difficult because he was placing shots well and causing me to twist and turn around the court to return shots. It ended up being beneficial though, as I picked up some of his tactics and applied it to my GW match, and it paid off."
In Friday's kickoff match against No. 12 Bates, the Jumbos couldn't find enough shots to cage their opponents, and the contest ended in six total disappointing match losses in three sets. Taking full advantage of the struggling squad, the Bobcats pounced on the Jumbos 9-0. With a consistent record of success, Bates' shutout marks its most recent win in its long history of beating Tufts. Still, the final score masks a determined effort by the Jumbos to pull out wins in hotly contested matches. Three players, No. 1 Gross, No. 5 Bradley and No. 7 senior tri-captain Chris Martin lost in four games respectively.
"We knew going in it was going to be a really tough match," said Bradley, who fell 7-9, 9-2, 9-1, 9-5. "They had some really good players that kept up the intensity of the matches. My opponent was good at cutting off, volleying everything before the ball had a chance to reach the back of the court, so he kept me running down shots to pick up points."
Moving to 8-9 overall, the Jumbos prepare for their last match of the season against nationally ranked No. 14 Brown tonight. While pocketing a win would be ideal, the Jumbos hope to experiment with new shot tactics and incorporate some new ideas picked up from the rubble of the Invitational in preparation for Nationals. Falling to the Bears last season 5-4, with Bradley and sophomore Ben Rind picking up wins in four sets each, the squad isn't ruling out the possibility of an upset.
"We learned that we need to shoot a little better and keep the pace up," Gross said. "We look at the higher-level teams and they either intentionally or unintentionally change the pace to keep opponents out of a groove and take advantage of their mistakes as they try to adjust ... It's something to keep in mind as we go forward against Brown and, in a couple weeks, when we go to Nationals."
"Going into Brown, we know that we are the underdogs, seeing that Brown is much better ranking-wise," Levinson said. "This is their last home match and it's our last match of the season, and we have nothing to lose. That will make us fiercer on the court, and we're going to use that intensity while playing with a much more relaxed mentality. I wouldn't be surprised at all if we get some wins and scare them a little bit."
