After losing all four of its weekend matches, the No. 23 men's squash team found itself at 4−10 overall and on the verge of dropping out of the Collegiate Squash Association's (CSA) top 24 for the first time in more than 10 years. Despite their setbacks, however, the Jumbos' main objective remains unchanged from the beginning of the season.
"Our goal is to try and stay in the top 24 in the country," coach Doug Eng said. "Most of the NESCAC will play in the C Division, and we want to stay in that pool for Nationals."
To qualify for the C Division at the CSA National Championships starting Feb. 25 at Harvard, Tufts will have to finish the season ranked in the top 24 nationally. At the end of the fall semester, the Jumbos were ranked No.23 by CSA, placing them right on the border between the C and D Divisions.
This ranking will almost certainly fall, however, after the team went 0−4 in its first matches of the new semester.
The Jumbos' weekend began on Saturday with a 9−0 loss to No. 19 Amherst. The host Lord Jeffs dominated Tufts, as only senior captain Alex Gross and junior Hank Miller won any games in their respective matches. Gross fell to Amherst senior Andrew Kriete in five games while Miller lost to senior Kevin Cecala in four.
Just a few hours later, the Jumbos squared off against Hamilton, a team ranked just two spots ahead of them. Although Tufts recorded wins from its top three players — Gross, Miller and senior Ben Rind — the bottom part of the Jumbos' lineup was swept by the Continentals, resulting in a 6−3 Hamilton win. It was the closest loss out of Tufts' four weekend matches.
"I was hoping to possibly beat Hamilton, and we came close," Gross said. "It was definitely a disappointment."
"On a better day, maybe we could have pulled it out [against Hamilton]," Eng added. "Our top three were playing really well, and we're closing the gap on those teams at the bottom half [of the lineup]."
The next day, Tufts was once again swept 9−0 by powerhouses St. Lawrence and George Washington, ranked 14th and 16th, respectively, by the CSA. The Jumbos have failed to win a single match now on seven occasions this season.
Although Eng praised his team's hustle and athleticism throughout the weekend, he still implored players to take more risks in their final matches of the season.
"We still need to hit the ball even more aggressively because some teams hit harder than we do," Eng said. "We need to cut off and make more plays."
Fortunately for the team, Tufts has an opportunity to turn its season around quickly with three matches this weekend at Colby. The Jumbos face No. 47 Drexel and No. 18 Bowdoin in a Saturday doubleheader after a crucial Friday night test against No. 24 Colby, another team that is fighting to finish its season in the top 24.
"We're going to have to beat Colby," Gross said. "This Friday is going to be one of the biggest matches of the year for us."
Colby is coming into this weekend after winning three out of five last weekend, including a 6−3 win against Hamilton. The Mules are 5−9 overall and 1−4 against NESCAC opponents.
"Colby is a big match. We have to go out and play our hardest," Eng said. "We'll only have a few more chances like this to hopefully grab a spot in the division."
To beat Colby, Tufts will have to get another strong effort from Gross, who has been playing at the No. 1 spot for the Jumbos all season. He is 6−8 overall but 0−5 in matches that have gone five games, something that doesn't sit well with the senior captain.
"It's been pretty frustrating," Gross said. "If I keep pushing hard, I'm going to hopefully start winning some of them. The hardest thing is keeping focus for five hard games against some tough competition."
