Though the Jeffs are in a tough league, and of late have played some hard matches against very experienced Ivy League opponents, they fared well, taking sixth place in the Hoehn division of the tournament. This highly respectable finish also secured the Jeffs a national ranking of 14.
Captain Addison West '01 was not only satisfied but proud of the group's efforts, noting that, "It was our goal this year as a team to finish in the top 15," he said. "Although we didn't have any surprise victories this weekend, the guys played solid squash and beat teams we should have."
In the first round of the tournament, the Jeffs fell to the Ivy League representative University of Pennsylvania, a much more experienced team, which ended up placing second in the eight-team field. Despite the overall loss, West and sophomore standout Piercarlo Valdesolo had impressive victories in the top two positions for the Jeffs, winning both of their matches with identical 3-1 scores.
Amherst's second match was against NESCAC rival Bowdoin College. The Jeffs dominated the Polar Bears in six of the nine matches for the win.
Once again, West and Valdesolo led the team with wins at the one and two positions while John Holodnak '03, J. Ashley Ebersole '01, Roger Boulay '03 and John Brody '02 finished off their opponents in the rest of the wins.
"The Bowdoin match was great because it revealed both our team's strength at the top of the ladder and our depth at the bottom," said Ebersole, who won his match easily 3-0. "Some of the matches were incredibly close ... I thought everyone showed extraordinary skill despite the pressure."
In the playoff for fifth place, the team suffered a tough loss to Franklin and Marshall College, falling 3-6.
Once again, victories for the Jeffs were evenly distributed with West, Holodnak and Boulay hanging on for wins, while Valdesolo, David Bauer '03, Asad Haque '04, Ebersole, Sujay Desai '01E and Brody fought hard but eventually fell to their opponents.
"The match was a little frustrating for us because so many players went to five," said West. "By the last day of the tournament, I think fatigue was a big factor ... we just aren't used to playing three matches so close together."
Although the tournament marks the end of the season for the team, West and Valdesolo will continue on, competing in the National Individual tournament at Harvard University next weekend.