The Jeffs can't complain about their Wesleyan victory, but scoring an upset of their own this weekend surely would have been sweet. The Ephs, who have won Little Threes for seven years in a row, began this season ranked 10th in the country, just one spot ahead of the Jeffs. Though Williams returned its top six players from last season, it seemed like this could be the year for the young and ambitious Amherst squad-several Jeffs remarked that beating Williams was a reachable goal this year. However, recently the Ephs have managed to do what has eluded the Jeffs by defeating top-10 opponents Brown and Cornell Universities, both of whom beat Amherst by scores of 7-2. To beat Williams at host Wesleyan's courts was a long shot, and while senior tri-captain Nick Haslett and rookie Jerome Giovinazzo showed their mettle with wins at the eighth and ninth spots, respectively, the Ephs were just too much for the Jeffs.
All this is not to diminish the Jeffs' 9-0 victory over the Cardinals. Amherst was flawless against Wesleyan, as each Jeff-many of whom were playing up on the ladder-won 3-0. Senior tri-captain Tyler Mixter and Giovinazzo, playing up at sixth and seventh, respectively, both goose-egged their opponents 9-0, 9-0, 9-0. Not one game reached 10 points, and sophomore Andrew Slutsky and first-year Ben Bishop-neither of whom see regular action on the ladder-were particularly impressive at the eighth and ninth courts, respectively, ceding just a few points in each of their matches.
The men returned to their regular spots on the ladder for the Williams match, and to their credit, they gave the Purple Cows a much better fight than the Cardinals had given the Jeffs. Perhaps making up for a quick and flawless drubbing of his Cardinal opponent, Giovinazzo played the longest match of the day, beating Eph Thomas Marshall in five games, two of which went to 10 points (10-9, 0-9, 10-8, 3-9, 9-5). In pulling out two 10-point games, the rookie proved that he has what it takes to remain a fixture in the Amherst line-up for the next three seasons. Haslett's win over Cameron Henry took only four games but was no less impressive as he won 9-5, 6-9, 9-6, 9-4.
While no other Jeff broke into the win column, junior tri-captain Auloke Mathur, sophomore Mark Rapisarda and junior Stu Landesberg all took their Eph opponents to four games at the second, third and sixth courts, respectively. Rapisarda's match nearly went to five games, but Eph Jon Barry pulled away with a 10-8 victory in the fourth game to put it away.
"Rapisarda came out playing his best squash and almost pulled out a huge upset," said Landesberg.
Tonight's match at number-four Yale University brings the regular season to a close. This weekend, the Jeffs very well could face the Ephs again at the first-ever NESCAC Tournament hosted by Trinity College. The tournament, which will feature all 10 NESCAC teams in action, will provide a nice warm-up for the College Squash Association Championships the following weekend. Matchups with 13th- and 14th-ranked Bates and Bowdoin Colleges, respectively, could get interesting, as could a rematch with the Ephs.
The Jeffs remain optimistic about the postseason.
"Our depth is very strong this year, and I think that we are closer to the other teams than the match scores indicate," said Landesberg. "Everyone is in every match, taking games and playing top opponents closer than we ever have. Despite mixed results so far, Nationals is still an opportunity to show that the team is really that much better than past years'."