In this past weekend's College Squash Association's Individual Championships, juniors Valerie Koo and Alex Gross made the trip to Trinity College, coming home with mixed results.
Playing in the "B" division for the Molloy Cup, Gross ended the weekend with a 2−2 record in a mixture of main−draw and consolation games. With this tournament marking his third consecutive appearance while playing for Tufts, the No. 1 position player took pride in his more relaxed and confident approach to his games.
"Finishing 2−2, I was pretty pleased with the weekend overall," Gross said. "I had a lot more confidence going into this tournament. I wasn't sure in the past how good I was in comparison to other players. I knew this time around that I had a good chance of winning at least some games, and I was able to enjoy it a little more."
For Koo, the tournament brought new challenges that were hard to reconcile with an imperative desire for victory. She had to deal with opponents with different styles of play, as well as the stress of her first appearance at the tournament. Consequently, the tri−captain wound up going 0−2 and dropping games by wider margins than expected.
"I think I could have done better against my opponents, but it was tough because it was my first time in the tournament," Koo said. "It was different from team competition because all the pressure is on you. Instead of focusing on how to win the game, I think I was preoccupied at times with other mental pressures."
After suffering elimination in the first round of 32 on Friday, Gross moved to the second round of the consolation bracket on Saturday, from which he emerged with a close five−game win against 14th−seeded Rochester sophomore Joe Chapman. In the upset, Gross traded wins and losses with Chapman until a final 11−8 victory broke the 2−2 tie, catapulting Gross to the consolation quarterfinals.
"That win was probably the biggest win I've had at Tufts," Gross said. "This kid was ranked very high, and I knew he was going to be tough. I've been working on my game the past couple weeks, and it's paid off personally. He wasn't as creative as some other opponents were, and I got control of the tempo of the [games], which helped the game go in my favor.
"That five−game win is something I'll be taking into next season as a big accomplishment and something to build off of."
In the quarterfinals game later on, Gross faced off against Rochester freshman Juan Pablo Gaviria but didn't find as much success, falling in four games. Gross pulled out just one win, a 15−13 victory in the second set, citing fatigue after a toughly fought game earlier in the day.
"[Gaviria] had a considerably different [style], and I already felt beat," Gross said. "He played short all over the court and he was able to beat me in four. My shots weren't completely on, and I was pretty tired at that point."
In the main draw on Friday, Gross began the weekend with a heart−pounding five−game win against Middlebury first−year Jay Dolan. After gaining an early lead with an 11−3 first−set win, Gross fell in the second set in a tight 12−10 loss. Splitting the third and fourth games, Gross pulled out in a decisive 11−7 fifth game to advance into the round of 32. Later that day, he crossed rackets with No. 3 seed Princeton junior Peter Sopher, who received a first−round bye. In the three−set loss, Gross' bracket dreams were busted, but the Washington, D.C. native was just pleased to have had the opportunity to advance.
"[My Middlebury game] was winnable, but it was really tough," Gross said. "It wasn't my best squash, but I came out on top in five games … My Princeton opponent was really good, but I just went out to have fun. I lost in three, but I played pretty well. He made me work really hard."
In the women's tournament, Koo was eliminated in her opening game. Unfortunately, she did not find much success in the consolation bracket either, as she fell in a straight−set loss to Hamilton senior Kelly Whipple.
"She was a really strong player, and she had a better day than I did," Koo explained. "She figured out my game pretty fast, and in that respect, she played better than I did, and that's how she took the game."
In her main−draw match, Koo was up against a player hailing from the best team in the country: the undefeated Harvard Crimson. In the first−round game Friday, Harvard junior Bethan Williams held Koo to 10 points in a straight−set victory, pushing the Tufts player into the consolation bracket. With knowledge of her opponent's successful season, Koo's objective was to keep the game competitive despite the likelihood of elimination.
"I mean, Harvard is the No. 1 team in the nation, and they're undefeated," Koo said. "I just tried to go out there and win some points, but I wasn't realistically expecting a victory in that game."
As both players wrap up the squash season for good, Koo and Gross look ahead to their last season at Tufts this upcoming fall, as well as the possibility for improvement during the offseason.
"This summer will be my last to really work on my court strategy," Gross said. "I'd really like to make some improvements in my game before next season, which will be my last as a senior."
"I just want to work on my confidence and being more consistent," Koo added. "I'd like to be able to adapt to different styles of play and learn how to dissect other people's strategies faster this offseason."
