As the NESCAC Tournament begins on Friday in Hartford, Conn., the men's squash team will look to turn heads in a bracket filled with powerhouses.
The most noteworthy foe looming in the tournament is the home team. The Trinity Bantams currently hold the longest win streak in the nation in any sport. The Bantams have been undefeated since 1999, racking up 175 straight victories in that time and boasting an uncontested No. 1 ranking in collegiate squash. Trinity faced its biggest challenge of the year last night when the team took on the CSA No. 2-ranked Princeton Tigers - but they prevailed, 6-3.
Tufts coach Doug Eng does not see anyone taking down this squash superpower during the NESCAC Tournament.
"It's like asking if the Boston College football team can beat the New England Patriots," Eng said. "There is a major gap. Williams could push Trinity the last couple years, but this year the gap is even wider. It will be more interesting to see who finishes second."
Indeed, the second place spot in the tournament appears to be a toss-up between Williams, the third seed in the tournament, and Bates, the second seed. Bates took the Jan. 12 matchup between these teams by a narrow 5-4 margin.
The 5-4 Jumbos go into the tournament with a six-seed in the 11-team field and will face No. 11 Wesleyan in the first round. Tufts blanked Wesleyan 9-0 earlier this year and hopes to at least use the match to warm up for what promises to be a challenging second-round challenge against Williams.
"We are closer to Williams than Wesleyan is to us," Eng said. "But the first match will give us a chance to get comfortable and used to the courts."
Tufts has struggled against the Ephs in the past, dropping an 8-1 decision to Williams on Nov. 17th. The Jumbos' lone victory came from senior tri-captain Jake Gross out of the No. 1 spot.
"Against Williams, I think Jake can win," Eng said. "And I feel that there are three or four matches besides his that could go our way. It's not unrealistic to think we have a shot. We could make a good run."
With formidable challenges ahead, the Jumbos are confident in where they stand.
"I think we are very hungry to beat some top teams," Gross said. "Our fitness level is higher than anyone else's, so with lots of matches in one weekend, like we will have at NESCACs, we will have the edge."
With the team coming off its monumental win over St. Lawrence on Jan. 19, Eng would like his team to hone certain points of its arsenal.
"We are playing pretty sharp since [our winter break trip to] Jamaica," Eng said. "I think a couple things we need to work on a little more are with playing in our heads and getting touch in the front court. Our touch is not that sharp. We tend to play too aggressive in big moments. We need to gain a little finesse."
The Jumbos will try to take that sharp game into Hartford and turn some heads by knocking off Wesleyan on Friday and giving the Ephs a battle in the projected second round match on Saturday.
