Jumbos open season 4-0, upset Colby Mules

Men’s squash, ranked No. 27 nationally, got off to a convincing start last weekend by defeating Boston College, Colby College, Bryant University and Brandeis University to earn a 4-0 record. The Jumbos did not graduate a single contributing player last season and look dangerous with a slew of promising first-years.

Tufts swept Bryant 8-0 and Brandeis 9-0 on Nov. 20 at Belmont Hill. Tufts dominated the Brandeis game, with each position needing only three games to be decided. The Jumbos did not drop a set during the contest.

In the Bryant match, the top three spots were close and needed four games each for a winner to be determined. Tufts again swept the competition. Many of the first-years, including first-seed Raghav Kumar and second-seed Connor Wind, were seeded highly and handled their positions well.

Tufts upset No. 20 Colby, arguably Tufts’ strongest opponent of the weekend, on Nov. 19. The Jumbos beat the Mules 6-3. Out of the top four seeded Tufts players, only the third position player, Kumar, managed to win his match, taking it 12-10, 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 in a five set comeback. It was up to the lower-seeded Tufts players to seal the win for the Jumbos, and they did. Sophomore Cameron Ewan won his match in just three sets, the only such match of the contest. Tufts' lower seeds' ability to bring the score to 6-3 demonstrates the depth of the squad this season.

According to sophomore Brett Raskopf, the win against Colby meant a lot to the team.

"While the wins over Boston College, Brandeis and Bryant were expected, the win over Colby ensured that the team is off to the best start we have ever had," Raskopf told the Daily in an email. "The win definitely turned some heads, as it is very rare that a team beats another team ranked seven spots above them in the rankings. This means top-ranked teams are going to take us very seriously this year, and we have to be ready for it."

The Jumbos faced little difficulty in their season opener against the Boston College Eagles on Nov. 18, defeating them 8-1 and only dropping a point to the Eagles’ ninth-seeded player. First-years put on a strong display in this game as well, with Kumar, Wind, fifth-seed Frank Yandrisevits and sixth-seed Amun Sahrawat all picking up victories in their respective matches.

Raskopf said that their preseason training methods contributed to their 4-0 start to the season.

"This year, we decided to start the season by playing challenge matches against each other for the first two weeks of the season," Raskopf said. "This ensured match-level intensity at every practice and was pivotal in getting us in shape, both mentally and physically."

Junior John Patrick has high hopes for the first-years on the team, especially after their impressive performances at the start of the season.

"So far, the freshmen are looking great," Patrick told the Daily in an email. "They are incredibly talented and very capable of competing with many of the better players in college squash. The transition from high school to college squash usually takes a few matches to get used to, but the freshmen have shown, especially with our win over Colby, that they are prepared to win.

The Jumbos travel to Hamilton College to face off against the Continentals and the New York University Bobcats on Dec. 3 before travelling to Vassar College to play the Bard College Raptors and the Vassar College Brewers on Dec. 4.