WILLIAMSTOWN, MA (February 11, 2023) -- The Tufts University men's squash team accomplished something that has never been done in program history Saturday, earning its first trip into the semifinal round ever in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament with an 8-1 win over No. 20 Middlebury College in action from the Simon Squash Center on the campus of Williams College.
The Jumbos (9-6) will now play host Williams College at 10:30 a.m. in the NESCAC semifinals, with the winner moving into the title match at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of Bates College and top-seeded and defending champion Trinity College. The victory also avenged a 5-4 loss to Middlebury College in 2022 in the NESCAC quarters, as the Jumbos dominated from the first ball.
Jared Chin started things off for the Jumbos at No. 7 with a victory over Julian Sandoval, winning in three games with scores of 11-6, 11-4 and 11-2. Chin moves to 7-6 on the season with the victory.
Kunal Valia was right behind Chin in the win column, pushing the Jumbos lead up to 2-0 after dispatching of Will Lichstein 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-4) at the No. 2 spot. Minutes later,
Oliver Eielson would finish the first wave of matches with a win at No. 6, as he shook off a game two loss to earn a 3-1 victory with scores of 11-7, 5-11, 12-10 and 11-9.
Tufts would move within one win of clinching the team match with a win at the No. 4 spot, as
Youssef Ezzo outlasted Kian Kardestuncer 11-4, 8-11, 11-8 and 12-10 to make it 4-0 in favor of the Jumbos. The clinching victory came at the No. 9 position, as first-year
Rohan Valia cruised past William Quigley as he allowed only eight points all match in an 11-3 ,11-2, 11-3 victory.
The wins would continue to roll in for Tufts, as No. 1
Harry Charlton chalked up his sixth win of the campaign with a 15-13, 5-11, 11-8 and 11-8 win over Nathan Feinstein.
Kerwin Teh upped his record to 8-5 this season with a straight games win at No. 3 after chalking up wins of 11-5, 11-7 and 11-5, and captain
Vivaan Jaikishan made a furious rally to come back from two games down to defeat Alexis Ballo 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-6 and 11-7 in a 40 minute marathon.
The only win for Middlebury came at the No. 5 position, as PK Keller knocked off
Sanjeev Jeyabalan in five games with scores of 8-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-8 and 8-11.
The victory for Tufts sets up a rematch with Williams College, which knocked off the Jumbos 7-2 back on January 21 in Williamstown. In that match, the Ephs won three matches in five games which was the difference.
For more information on the NESCAC Tournament, click
HERE for the Tournament Homepage.
--JUMBOS--
