In another action-packed weekend, Amherst squash teams competed in the NESCAC Championships.

Despite double losses in the tournament for both men and women, the Jeffs had a respectable showing when the ball was in their court. The women served up a solid victory over Wesleyan University on Friday (6-3) but lost to Williams College the next day 9-0. The Jeffs narrowly lost to Hamilton in the consolation round and made a determined effort to squeak past Tufts University 5-4, concluding at seventh place in the NESCAC Championships.

Earning a bye for the first round of the tournament, the Amherst men’s squad pulled off a 5-4 win over Bowdoin College to advance. The Jeffs, however, did not prove to be a match for host Trinity College — currently ranked No. 1 by the Collegiate Squash Association. After suffering a blowout 9-0 in the semifinals, the men also dropped an 8-1 loss to Bates College but still managed to clinch third place in the tournament

Women

Sophomore star players Allie Dalglish and Hayley Milbourn, along with talented rookie Kate Savage ’12, led the Amherst lineup against the Wesleyan Cardinals in the opening round. The top three players and senior captain Melissa Moulton won their individual matches in straight games. Despite dropping the second game to their opponents, Mimi Bell ’11 and Megan Clower ’12 pulled through to earn the last two matches for the Jeffs.

A 9-0 sweep by the Ephs was not particularly shocking, as Williams was seeded No. 2 in the tournament and Amherst No. 7. On the other hand, the loss against Hamilton was unfortunate and rather disappointing. Moulton had an outstanding performance at No. 5, defeating her opponent five games. Milbourn and Savage, as well as sophomore Veronica Roca at No. 9, also proved to be dependable. Winning just one more match would have qualified the Jeffs to advance. Caitlin Demkin ’11 might have been the Jeffs’ best chance, as she won the opening game of her match in addition to coming back with a third but eventually suffered a heartbreaking loss in five games.

Yet, by sliding by the Jumbos with a 5-4 victory, the Jeffs were satisfied with claiming seventh place in the NESCAC tournament.

“This weekend was filled with individual ups and downs, but as a team we kept it together and we’re happy that we finished where we were seeded: at 7th place,” said Moulton. “A few people were kicking themselves for losing winnable matches in our 4-5 loss to Hamilton. But those same people really turned it around to help us win 5-4 against Tufts. Tufts was our 4th match of the weekend and I’m upset that a few teammates and I were wiped out and lost it mentally. I’m really proud of the girls who stayed tough and pulled out their matches, especially Veronica, Mimi and Allie.”

“Seeing the team win matches that we would have never won last year is what excites me the most about this season,” noted Dalglish ’11. Knowing that the team is so young and we will only lose one senior solidifies thats sentiment. We have fresh, motivated team and I think good things are to come in the next two years.

Men

The men’s squad bypassed the first round of the tournament and came through on Saturday to take a narrow-margin win over Bowdoin (5-4). Senior Drew Blacker, Steve Severson ’12, and Zach Porges ’12 served out their matches in three games. Veterans Ben Bishop ’09 and Brad Corbin ’09, despite dropping a set to their respective opponents, settled their individual matches in four games to give Amherst a one-game edge over Bowdoin.

Playing against Trinity was almost a foregone conclusion. Topping collegiate squash’s national ranking charts and possessing the nation’s longest winning streak in any sport (183 matches in total), the Trinity Bantams were an indomitable force on their home courts. The Jeffs put up a determined struggle and managed to take a few rally points in their games against the Bantams, even though Amherst eventually lost 9-0. Trinity then went on to win their third straight NESCAC Championship title.

The Jeffs’ third match showed the toll of the NESCAC competition on the players. Severson, at the No. 3 position, was the only player to win a point for Amherst. Bates junior Jordan Greenberg retired during the match, and Severson won by default.

“Steve Severson played great this weekend. We call him the Centaur because he has the brains of a human but he runs like a thoroughbred,” said Bishop.

Despite the 8-1 loss to the Bobcats, the men secured a third place finish in the NESCAC Championships. The court is back in session for the Amherst squash teams next weekend at Wesleyan University. Both men and women will have to rally their talents in the Little Three Championships against the Cardinals and Ephs.