The men's squash team faced off with Princeton University on Sunday after eight days free of matches. Following a tough Interterm schedule, which saw Amherst drop from the ranks of the unbeaten to a rather disappointing 3-5, the 14th-ranked Jeffs were looking for some redemption. The boost in morale would be useful in the important matches ahead, including the Little Three Championships and the CSA Team Championships, both of which take place later this month.

With the season beginning to wind down, the Jeffs must prove that they are capable of stepping up their performance against teams ranked higher than they, since their Interterm performance showed a trend towards the contrary with disappointing 9-0 losses against fourth-ranked University of Pennsylvania and sixth-ranked Cornell University.

The play of senior co-captain Brian Lawrence, however, has been a bright spot. Lawrence's leadership and performance at the number-eight position have inspired his teammates, who had high words of praise for his tough yet positive attitude. Lawrence went on a three-game winning streak during Interterm, pulling out wins for the Jeffs against skilled opponents such as Brown and Dartmouth Universities.

Unfortunately, the match against the Princeton Tigers at Williams College on Sunday could not be salvaged. The Jeffs were dealt another tough sweep, losing all nine of their matches. "This year Princeton was as beatable as they have been in the last decade, said Stu Landesberg '07. "While Princeton was a heavy favorite, we could have played better against them."

Seven of the Jeffs' nine matches were lost in just three games, with Lawrence and first-year Andrew Slutsky able to pull through with a victory each. Lawrence showed characteristic mental toughness on the court, dropping two close games before finally clinching the third, 9-6, to prevent a sweep. Slutsky, playing at the nine spot after spending much of the season at number seven, started his match with strength, beating his Princeton opponent in the first game, 9-6, and battling to the end, with a close fourth game that finally ended in a 10-8 loss.

Prior to their match against Amherst, the Tigers tallied a resounding victory against the ninth-ranked Williams Ephs, 9-0. In this measure Williams and Amherst seem to be on equal footing, and the men's squash team is optimistic.

"Not that we looked past Princeton, but the loss did not hurt the team's spirits. We have an excellent opportunity to beat Williams this year and I think we all still feel confident going into that match," said Landesberg. "Coming into the final stretch of the season, we remain a team with something to prove and will work hard to do so in our remaining matches."

The team has what should be an easy match coming up this evening against the host MIT Fighting Engineers. The Jeffs hope this contest will give them an opportunity to snap out of their current losing streak and herald their entrance into a victorious postseason.