Things seem to be coming together at the right time for the men’s squash team. This past weekend at home, the Cardinals got two more wins as they dismantled Rutgers and beat Northwestern in dramatic fashion. Against Northwestern, the men were led by the heroics of co-captain Omair Sarwar ’06. With the score tied 4-4, Sarwar clinched the match with a decisive 3-2 victory in the number four slot. Also recording victories against Northwestern were Evan Lodge ’08, JZ Golden ’08, and Devin Gorman-DaRif ’08. With the victory, the squad has won three straight contests, and has been victorious in five of its past six matches.
“I knew it would take a combined team effort to get a result against Northwestern and this is what the guys did,” said coach Shona Kerr of the victory.
Against Rutgers, the match was much more lopsided. Wesleyan cruised to an 8-1 victory, highlighted by a 3-0 victory by Evan Lodge. For the weekend, Lodge didn’t drop a game. Even with Lodge providing constant victories at the number one spot, perhaps the biggest reason for the Cardinals recent success has been the dominance of the bottom half of the ladder. Both JZ Golden and Benjie Messenger-Barnes ’09 have won their last six matches.
“Momentum and confidence go a long way and everyone’s been stepping up when they had to,” Golden said. “We’ve all been working hard in practice and the improvement in the bottom of the ladder has been dramatic.”
Kerr reiterated this sentiment.
“We have worked on creating a more committed, productive environment,” he said. “All players have improved, but in particular the lower order players have significantly improved in all areas, and if you look at the results they are the cornerstone of the team.”
With the two victories this past weekend, the Cardinals have evened their record at 7-7 and will likely move up from their position at number 26 in the nation when the new rankings come out.
Redemption was the overwhelming feeling for members of the women’s squash team as they finished a busy weekend at Smith/Mount Holyoke with a 2-2 record. Wesleyan beat Wellesley College 5-4, ending a nine-match and eight-year losing streak to the school often confused with Wesleyan. Earlier this year, Wellesley destroyed the Cardinals by an 8-1 score.
Leading the 5-11 Lady Cards, number 27 in the nation, in their impressive turnaround was Brittany Delany ’09, who recorded a 3-0 victory in the number one slot. In the other three matches of the weekend, the Cardinals lost 8-1 to Tufts, lost 7-2 to Franklin and Marshall, and finished on a positive note by defeating Haverford 5-4. Both Liz Demakos ’09 and Andrea Giuliano ’09 recorded team best 3-1 records at the invitational.
Both squash teams will need to elevate their playing level this weekend as they face little three rivals Williams and Amherst. The male Ephs and Jeffs are ranked number seven and eleven in the country, while their female counterparts are both in the top 15.
“We just have to play our best and not be worried about whoever we’re facing,” Golden said.
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