Senior Jake and freshman Alex Gross, two brothers who competed at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively throughout the season for the men's squash team, traveled to Navy last weekend for the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships.
Jake Gross competed in the Potter Cup, which consisted of the top 32 collegiate players in the country, while Alex Gross played in the Malloy Cup with the Nos. 33-86 nationally ranked players.
Jake Gross suited up for his first-round match at No. 30, a ranking that many believed was well below his actual national ranking. A mistake in results from a Williams match earlier this season listed a loss for Gross when he actually had won. This mistake was not rectified in time for the championships.
"We were not happy," coach Doug Eng said. "Jake should have been four or five spots higher. I do know from the committee that in the actual rankings, Jake was quite a bit higher, but one of the coaches fixed it a little bit. They just treated him badly."
The questionable ranking left Gross playing the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Princeton junior Mauricio Sanchez. Gross battled hard but was defeated in straight games, 9-2, 9-2, 9-3.
"In Jake's first match, the scores didn't reflect how close the match was," Alex Gross said. "But in the end, [Sanchez] was just too steady."
Gross then moved to the consolation bracket, where he faced Navy senior Tucker George, the No. 14 seed. The Jumbo tri-captain couldn't have started off the match any better, dominating the first two games. However, Gross could not finish George off, dropping the next three to the home-crowd favorite to lose his final match in a Tufts uniform by a score of 1-9, 3-9, 9-6, 9-2, 9-5.
"In the first two games, Jake was playing unbelievably well and forcing Tucker to make a lot of errors trying to go to the front," Eng said. "The third [game] seesawed for the first 10 minutes and it was very tight. Jake would have won were it not for errors on forehand drops that kept Tucker in the match. He lost a little confidence, and maybe he let up a little."
"The match was a heartbreaker," Alex Gross added. "I have never seen Jake play as well as he did in the first two games. He embarrassed Tucker in front of all his fans. But Tucker's in great shape and had all his fans there and that might have rattled Jake. After he dropped the third, Jake was shocked, and then Tucker just pulled it out."
Despite the loss, Jake Gross's season must be viewed as a success. He broke Tufts' all-time program wins record and also earned a spot on the inaugural All-NESCAC team.
"Jake was a little disappointed not to make All-American and not to win that match against Tucker," assistant coach Kelly Engman said. "But it's always really difficult having hundreds of fans rooting against you. I hope he does not dwell on that match because he has had such a great career."
Meanwhile, Alex Gross, the No. 38 seed in the Malloy Cup, dropped his first match to Western Ontario senior Ryan Forster, 9-4, 9-3, 9-2.
"He played a completely different game than me and it kind of threw me off," Gross said. "The courts were kind of awkward, so it took some getting used to."
Gross then moved to the consolation bracket, where he received a first-round bye before facing Colgate sophomore Rob McCary in the second. Gross handled McCary in straight games to move to the quarterfinals.
In the round of eight, Gross took on a fellow freshman, Navy's Allan Lutz. Lutz and Gross are both from the Washington, D.C. area and have competed against one another many times. Although Gross ended up losing the match, 9-7, 9-7, 9-5, it was incredibly close the whole way.
"We were rallying very well," Gross said. "It was good squash the entire game except for the last couple shots."
"It was a lot closer than the score indicated because it was back and forth," Engman said. "It could have gone Alex's way, but there were just a few really pivotal points at the end of each game."
Lutz went on to win the consolation bracket.
