Tufts suffers defeat to MIT, bounces back to dismantle BU

The No. 28 Tufts men’s squash team (8–11) lost to No. 22 MIT, 8–1, on Feb. 8 before rebounding to defeat No. 42 Boston University, 9–0, on Saturday. The matchup on Saturday wrapped up the Jumbos' 2017–18 regular season.

The match against Boston University was one of Tufts' easier competitions of the season, which provided an opportunity for players, who are typically outside of the regular top nine, to compete. It was also a match for the team's seniors, who won’t be competing in the upcoming College Squash Association (CSA) Team Nationals, to end their Tufts careers on a high note. Junior co-captain Aidan Porges spoke about the expectations for Saturday’s match.

"BU isn’t that strong of a program," Porges said. "We came out and played well, but we were always fairly confident that we were going to win. We still like to play local teams, so that’s why we play them."

First-year Matt Fiedler was one of the Jumbos who hasn't gotten many opportunities to play against the team's stiffer competition. Against BU, however, the New Haven, Conn. native shined, crushing his opponent in straight sets: 11–3, 11–2, 11–2. Fiedler was understandably pleased with his performance.

"Originally, [BU] were only going to line up six guys, but then they tacked on a seventh, so I played," Fiedler said. "It was only seniors who were supposed to play. The kid I played was a solid player, but I was able to pull out a win."

Tufts' match against MIT (15–5) on Feb. 8 had a much different result. Under the leadership of coach Thierry Lincou, who was the No. 1 men's squash player in the world from 2004–05, the Engineers have become one of best squash programs in the Boston area.

Tufts struggled immensely against its strong opposition, as first-year Aman Nivani was the only player to pick up a win. Nivani's opponent, MIT junior Justin Restivo, had one of the most unique styles that Porges has ever seen.

"He hit shots that people don’t even know exist — behind-the-back, through-the-legs — things that squash players don’t normally do," Porges said. "Navani kept his head up and stayed focused, [while] playing through this weird squash. He was eventually able to pull it out."

Navani was pleased with his performance, especially since it came against such a formidable opponent from MIT. 

"The first few games, I tried to understand what [Restivo] was doing," Navani said. "He kept on going for kill shots, but once I caught on, I learned to push higher up onto the court. He made some errors and I capitalized on them."

Tufts coach Joe Raho explained how the one-sided scoreline against MIT wasn’t necessarily indicative of how close the match was. Three individual matchups lasted the full five sets, with MIT winning two of them.

"I kind of thought the MIT guys would come in and beat us quite badly, but it was really tight," Raho said. "The score doesn’t reflect it that much, but the matches were a lot more competitive than they appear. Our guys were right in it."

Playing in the fourth position, Porges came close to victory, only to fall short in the fourth set, eventually losing 11–8, 11–5, 8–11, 11–9. The Philadelphia native was ultimately disappointed with the result, knowing that he was neck-and-neck with his opponent almost all the way through.

"I was a bit frustrated with how I played,” Porges said. “My opponent was really good. It’s hard to always go out there and play your best — it’s the sort of thing you have to learn to fight through. He won that day, but I’d definitely like to play him again next year."

With CSA Team Nationals scheduled for Feb. 23–25, these matches served to prepare the Jumbos for what will undoubtedly be an exciting and important weekend. According to Raho, Tufts' recent competitions have helped it prepare in several ways, none more than the matchup with MIT, which conditioned the team to raise its level.

"You have one [match] where you get beat up really bad and you’re playing someone who’s always ahead of you, and you see that’s what you’re trying to get toward," Raho said. "There were a bunch of super close and contested battles. These matches ... prepare you for that super high pressure environment at Nationals."

In the matchup with BU, on the other hand, the main focus wasn't necessarily on winning. Instead, it primarily helped the Jumbos develop the aspects of their games that need work, specifically in an in-game environment.

"It’s good when you’re slightly better than your opponent," Raho said. "You can build up some confidence and start working on some things. You’re still in the match scenario, but you’re working on growing your game."