Twice last semester, the men's squash team found itself on the wrong end of close matches, dropping a 6-3 decision to Bowdoin on Dec. 1 and a 5-4 contest to Amherst just five days later. But in a battle of nationally-ranked squads this past weekend, the Jumbos finally broke through.
In a display of the team's depth, nationally-ranked No. 18 Tufts picked up a key 6-3 win over No. 17 St. Lawrence Saturday at the Yale Tournament, the Jumbos' first win over a ranked team in two years. The victory provided a bit of revenge for the Jumbos, who suffered a 5-4 setback to the Saints in the semifinals of the 2007 Summers Division of the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Nationals.
The win pushed the 5-4 Jumbos back above .500 on the season. St. Lawrence dropped to 11-2 and saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.
Tufts once again put up a strong showing from the top of the lineup, as senior tri-captain Jake Gross, freshman Alex Gross and sophomore John Subranni took care of the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 players from St. Lawrence, respectively.
Jake Gross, currently ranked No. 26 in the country, dispatched Zimbabwe native and St. Lawrence senior Daniel McElvaine with ease, giving up just 10 points en route to a 9-2, 9-3, 9-5 victory. The win offered a bit of payback, as McElvaine had handed Gross a straight-set loss during their matchup last season.
"I trained hard over break, and it was rewarding for me to come out and play that well," he said. "Dan and I have had a rivalry for four years now and he beat me last year, so it was nice to get the last laugh."
The victory was Gross' 44th of his career, passing Wes Baker (E '85) for first place on the program's all-time wins list. Gross is now 44-20 in his career.
"Jake is just a very talented player and I feel fortunate to be working with him," coach Doug Eng said. "He has matured, realized what his strengths are and played with them. Freshman year, he had matches that he didn't know how to fight; now he knows how to play and knows he can take anyone in the backcourt."
Gross set this record just moments after his younger brother walked off the court with easily the most exciting match of the day, and, according to several players, one of the most thrilling battles that they had ever seen.
After taking the first game 9-6, the younger Gross dropped the next two 6-9, 7-9 before winning the fourth game 9-4 to send the match to a deciding fifth frame.
"Down 8-6 in fifth game, Alex dives full out to the front of the court to put the ball back in play," senior tri-captain Nelson Schubart said. "His opponent then hits it directly at him, hoping to hit him and win the point. Alex does a 360, puts it back in play, and 20 rallies later, wins the point in front of about a hundred spectators."
After winning that do-or-die point, Gross then took the next three points to win the game 10-8 and take the set.
"It was a special match," Jake Gross said. "It was nice being on that side of it. We have been on the losing side of close matches a bunch of times and Alex showed here that he is a big-time player and ready to step up and lead this team."
The Jumbos got their three other wins from the bottom third of the ladder, where Nos. 7, 8 and 9 all took their matches to seal the win.
At No. 7, freshman Ben Rind had one of the narrower battles of the day, falling just short in the first game before taking the next three by just five combined points (8-10, 9-7, 10-9, 10-8).
Checking in at Nos. 8 and 9 respectively, sophomores Scott Leighton and Zach Bradley finished off their opponents with ease in straight games.
"At seven, eight and nine we were in complete control, which really says a lot," Eng said. "Last year, we would not be in control of those matches."
Saturday's match was the team's first since Dec. 6, and the first since its winter break trip to Jamaica. Eleven players spent a week in Kingston training hard for the second-semester schedule.
"The trip did a lot for our condition and endurance," Schubart said. "We were playing outdoors with 80-plus-degree weather the whole time and that will definitely help us in the long run."
This crucial win puts Tufts in a favorable position going into the NESCAC Tournament next weekend, which they will follow by an important match against Brown on Feb. 6.
"I think we are very hungry and confident to beat some top teams," Jake Gross said. "We know we can beat both Amherst and Bowdoin [at NESCACs]. I think that our fitness level is higher than anyone else's, so with lots of matches in one weekend, like we expect to have at NESCACs, we will have the edge."
