LEWISTON, Maine – Tufts University and Bates College waged a competitive contest in NESCAC men's squash action on Tuesday. Despite the 8-1 score in favor of the Bobcats, four of the matches were decided in five sets.
Host Bates (4-4), ranked 25th in the most recent College Squash Association poll, would take all four of the matches that went the distance. The #22 Jumbos dropped to 3-3 with the loss.
The lone Jumbo victory of the match came in the seventh position where freshman Vivaan Jaikishan won in four. He had a 2-0 lead before losing the third game and then clinching in the fourth (11-7, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5).
At #3, Tufts sophomore Marco Rodriguez rallied from down 2-0 to force a fifth game before losing 11-6, 11-8, 3-11, 8-11, 11-6. That also happened in the fifth match where Tufts sophomore Konrad LaDow was down two games and rallied to tie it, but lost 11-7, 11-3, 6-11, 10-12, 11-7.
In the sixth spot, Jumbo sophomore Dillon O'Shea was up two games to one before losing to Bates' Jonathan Walker 6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 15-13, 11-5. Tufts junior co-captain Salik Awan went back-and-forth in his #9 match versus Sultan Hashmi before losing 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 13-11.
Jumbo freshman Sanjeev Jeyabalan played a competitive three-game match at #4, falling to Mahmoud Yousry 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
The top match went to Bates' Graham Bonnell over Jumbo freshman Kunal Valia 12-10, 11-3, 11-3. Bates' Peter Koenigsbauer took the most decisive win the eight match allowing 13 points (11-2, 11-9, 11-2).
The Jumbos are at Dickinson on Saturday for their next match. Bates hosts Dickinson tomorrow.
