The men's squash team (10-8) advanced to the finals of the Summers Division of the CSA Team Championships on Sunday before losing to St. Lawrence University 6-3 in a hard-fought contest. Earlier in the weekend, the Jumbos slid by Hamilton 5-4 on Saturday in the semifinals after dominating Wesleyan 8-1 in the first round Friday.
It was a disappointing end to the season for a men's squad that was ranked No. 17 nationally entering the tournament, and favored as the No. 1 seed in the C Division for teams ranked Nos. 17 through 24.
"We were very impressed by St. Lawrence," senior tri-captain Jake Gross said. "We beat them 6-3 earlier in the season, but they came out ready to play, and I think their skill and intensity caught us a little bit off guard. We were excited to be the top seed, and to be playing in the championship game, so anything less than winning was disappointing."
Against St. Lawrence, Gross - Tufts' all-time leader in wins - picked up the 53rd victory of his career. He will compete in the CSA Individual Championships next weekend.
In the match against Hamilton on Saturday, the Jumbos relied on an impressive five-game victory by sophomore Zach Bradley to carry them to victory. Bradley dropped two of the first three games before rallying to win 18 of the final 23 points.
"We came out a little flat and they took advantage," Gross said. "We've always known that they had untapped potential and guys with skill at one through nine, so they almost had a huge upset."
"The 5-4 victory against Hamilton should have been 9-0," sophomore John Subranni added. "We were playing miserably in that match. We played a little bit better against St. Lawrence the next day, but we mostly just beat ourselves."
Tufts looked sharp against Wesleyan on Friday, rolling over the Cardinals behind the strength of the top of their lineup. Jake Gross dropped just four points the entire match, while senior tri-captain Kris Leetavorn dropped only seven. Freshman Alex Gross was forced to win 10 points during each game of his match, but he prevailed in straight sets over freshman Matt Candal.
The Jumbos started the season with the aim of competing in the Hoehn Division at Nationals for teams ranked Nos. 8 through 16. But three 5-4 losses - including a pair against No. 16 Amherst on Dec. 6 and Feb. 3 - played heavily in denying Tufts its goal.
"This team was our strongest of my four years," Gross said. "It was amazing to see all the hard work the guys did, and if a few things had gone our way we'd be ranked 12 instead of 18."
The team's inability to reach the B Division cast a pall over its weekend.
"We went into the weekend bummed out that we were stuck in the [Summers Division]," Subranni said. "We had a good season and a good team, but we didn't play up to our potential ... If we had played in the [Hoehn Division], then who knows how we would have played as the underdog, rather than as the team expected to win."
Some of the squad's notable victories included a win over St. Lawrence at Yale on Jan. 19 and an 8-1 thrashing of Hamilton on Feb. 2. And while the season was marked by several close losses, Gross identified those contests as some of the high points of year.
"I think that some of the matches were actually both highs and lows," he said. "Losing two matches 5-4 to Amherst and the [5-4] match against Brown were tough, but we fought hard and I was proud of the team."
