Already seven matches into its season, the men's squash team is heading into Winter Break with its eye on a top 16 ranking as February's national championship tournament, the CSA Team Championships, draws near.
At 5-2, Tufts sits ranked 17th nationally, with a berth in the top 16 earning it an entry into the second division at Nationals and the ability to improve upon its ranking heading into the offseason.
On Saturday, Tufts traveled to Hobart and grabbed back-to-back victories against the tri-meet host #23 Statesmen and fellow visitor Hamilton. The team opened the day with a 9-0 shutout of Hobart, with all but one Jumbo securing a victory in three straight games. The closest match came at the number five spot, as sophomore Nelson Schubart needed four games to get past Hobart's John Keating by a score of 8-10, 9-2, 9-1, 9-4.
The Jumbos ended the day with an 8-1 defeat of NESCAC rival No. 22 Hamilton. Senior co-captain Thomas Keidel needed five games to get past Hamilton's John Frazier in the sixth position (9-6, 9-1, 0-9, 5-9, 9-6), while at number eight freshman Chris Devereux was the only Jumbo to come up short, losing to Andrew Small 5-9, 9-4, 9-4, 9-6. In both of Saturday's contests, sophomore Jake Gross led the way for Tufts at the top spot, picking up straight-game wins and improving his season record to 4-2.
Keidel was proud of the way his team handled traveling to New York to play two local teams.
"We drove seven hours each way," the senior co-captain said. "Yet we showed that we were the fresher and fitter team, physically and mentally."
The team's biggest test of the season came a week ago, as it squared off against No. 8 Dartmouth at Harvard. The team fought hard but lost 7-2, with senior Dan Karlin picking up a Tufts win at number seven (4-9, 9-5, 9-3, 0-9, 10-9 over Dan Schneider) and Devereux defeating Ben Mandel in straight games in the eight spot, 9-2, 9-2, 9-4.
In the opening weekend of the season, heading into Thanksgiving Break, the team took part in the Boston Shootout, winning three of its four matches in a two-day span. The team's sole loss came at the hands of No. 14 Bowdoin, a crucial contest that could have vaulted the team into the top 16. Playing at 10 a.m. the morning after two matches might have proven to be the difference against a fresh Bowdoin team.
"Three of our players were literally only a point or two away from victory in their matches, which could have meant that we would have won 6-3," said senior co-captain Spencer Maxwell, who was among the three Tufts winners against Bowdoin (9-6, 5-9, 10-8, 2-9, 9-3 against Zach Linhard in the third spot). "But instead, luck was not on our side and we lost."
But the team closed out the weekend on a positive note with an 8-1 victory against conference foe Wesleyan. In its two opening matches on Friday, the Jumbos took on Middlebury and secured a 7-2 victory without Gross in the lineup and followed it with a 9-0 shutout of Northeastern.
The team plays its final match of December tonight, hosting Amherst at the nearby Belmont Hill School in Belmont. A win over the Lord Jeffs, currently ranked No. 11, could be just what Tufts needs to break into the second division for Nationals. The team will, however, have other chances to defeat top-ranked teams, as NESCAC battles with Colby, Bates, and Trinity in February will all have implications on the national rankings.
The team has its sights set on an early February showdown with the No. 16 Mules of Colby, a match Tufts is confident it can win.
"Right now there is at least one team ranked higher than us who we know we can beat, that team being Colby," Maxwell said.
Over the winter, the team is heading to the Cayman Islands to train in quality weather. Keidel and his teammates hope the time down south will be helpful heading into the stretch run.
"The chemistry on our team is great right now, and we hope to strengthen this bond with sand and sunlight," Keidel said.
