Before this weekend's three−match slate in the Summers Cup at the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships, members of the men's squash team told themselves that their showing would determine the overall success of the season.
If the Jumbos' historic showing in New Haven, Conn. at Yale University was any indication, this year's campaign was one for the ages.
Thanks to a 7−2 win over George Washington University (GW) in the final match of the three−day event, Tufts matched the program record for most wins in a season of the past 10 seasons with 12, and solidified a No. 19 ranking in the latest CSA national poll. More importantly, though, the Jumbos closed out the regular season on a winning note.
"To come out and beat GW was, I think, very impressive," senior co−captain Zach Bradley said. "I definitely think this weekend was a success for us. It was a nice way to go out."
In the 19−20 playoff game against the Colonials, the Jumbos used victories in the top four ladder spots to clinch a No. 19 national ranking, surging past a tough GW squad that had previously rolled over a solid Stanford unit and had come close to upsetting Middlebury. The win was thanks in large part to the efforts of junior Alex Gross.
Playing at the No. 1 spot against Colonial freshman Omar Sobhy, Gross battled back from a 2−1 overall deficit to win consecutive games by 11−5 scores. After taking the first game 12−10, Gross promptly fell behind after dropping the second and third sets by 11−6 and 11−7 margins, respectively. But in stealing the match from Sobhy, Gross set the tone for the Jumbos' victory, though Tufts hardly cruised from there on out.
Six of the nine matches went into at least four games, with both senior John Subranni at No. 2 and first−year Sheldon Taylor in the No. 6 slot coming back from being down 1−0 against their respective opponents to take their overall matches in four sets.
Bradley, though, had little trouble dispatching senior Matthew Grossman in three sets, allowing just 14 aggregate points en route to his third win of the weekend. Junior Ben Rind, who, after struggling to a 13−11, first−set win over freshman Player Haynes, ceded only three points the rest of the way in his three−game victory at the No. 4 position. Senior Scott Leighton also completed an undefeated slate at the Summers Cup after winning in four games at No. 7.
"I think we were prepared for a tough battle," Leighton said. "We didn't really know GW's style, so we weren't sure how things would match up, but I think because of that we were more focused. It was maybe the most decisive victory of the season. All weekend we were really focused and played well."
The Jumbos were dropped to the 19−20 match against GW thanks to a grueling 5−4 loss to Amherst on Saturday in a rematch of the Lord Jeffs' 6−3 win on Feb. 6. This weekend, Amherst placed junior Andrew Kriete, someone who had not played much this year, in the No. 4 slot, a move that bumped the Lord Jeffs' ladder down one spot and surprised the Jumbos.
"It was very impressive considering everyone on our team at the bottom was playing someone who usually played one spot higher," Bradley said. "It should have been a more lopsided victory for them, if anything."
Still, with its shuffled lineup, Tufts managed to take Amherst to the brink, nearly taking the Summers Cup title thanks to another dominating performance from Gross, who powered past junior Brian Warner to a three−game victory.
At the No. 3 slot, Bradley also won in three games, as did Rind at No. 4. Leighton took sophomore Matthew Arnold to four games, dropping the third set 11−9 before winning the fourth 11−7 to capture the victory. However wins in the No. 8 and No. 9 matches for Amherst gave the Lord Jeffs their 12th win of the year.
"There were better individual performances against Amherst than the last time we played them," senior co−captain Max Dalury said. "Guys were just really focused. It would have been great to finish off our season on such a high note against a team we've had such contentious matches with."
"It's not always about the victory for us; sometimes it's just about the effort we put in," Leighton added. "I think there was a sense in the air that things would be a lot closer. Everyone realized that this was at nationals, so if there was ever a time to put in the effort, now was the time. It's a tough loss but I think we all played good squash."
In the Summers Cup opener against Hamilton on Friday, the third−seeded Jumbos won a tightly contested match, using a strong effort throughout the ladder to come out with a 9−0 victory, though the individual victories were not without drama.
At No. 7, for instance, Leighton went down by two games to freshman Ronald German before winning three straight, including a dominating fourth−game victory by an 11−0 margin. Sophomore Henry Miller additionally went down 2−0 and had to win three straight, while junior Andrew Kim battled back from two straight losses in games three and four to win in five games.
Gross, once again, won in three games, as did Bradley at No. 3 and Taylor at No. 6. Subranni and Dalury each took their respective matches in four games. The overall team shutout set the tone for what proved to be the Jumbos' best weekend of squash all year.
"It really came down to fitness," Dalury said. "The guys put in a lot of work to make sure we were in good physical condition going into the weekend. We were really able to focus, and at the same time we knew we had to relax because we could do it and just be confident and trust our abilities as a team."
Tufts also made drastic strides at the individual level, improving on technical aspects that aided the team's strong showing at Yale.
"Earlier in the season we made a lot of unforced errors, and that really killed us," Bradley said. "Especially against those two teams, we were just playing our games and making them make the mistakes. At every spot in the lineup we did a great job of that."
With the regular season finished, the 12−12 Jumbos will now turn their attention to helping Gross prepare for the CSA Individual Championships, to be held on the first weekend in March at Trinity College.
But the pride felt after going 2−1 on the year's biggest stage will stay with the Jumbos until the start of next year.
"In the last match of the season, everyone realized that if there was ever a time to turn it on that little extra level, now is the time," Leighton said. "I think everyone understood that and saw it and gave it that little extra effort. It's great to finish with a win."
