This weekend, the Brown squash team pulled out another spectacular display of skill and determination against two of its toughest opponents of the season. Despite some exceptional play from all members of the men's team on Saturday, they were overcome 7-2 by No. 6 Dartmouth, dropping them to 2-8 on the season.
The women's team played two thrilling matches back to back, delivering a sensational 5-4 win against No. 6 Stanford on Friday and coming up just short against No. 7 Dartmouth, losing 4-5 on Saturday. This makes the team 7-6 on the season.
On the men's side, neither team made an attempt to ease into the match, with both sides giving it their all from the start. No. 2 Adam Greenberg '10 set the tone for the rest of the team, hitting hard and refusing to give up, even when he fell behind in the third game. Teammates Ross Harrow '11, captain Ed Cerullo '08 and Adrian Leanza '11 also made for a riveting spectacle. Despite this, the Dartmouth top four proved too tough to overcome, with Brown losing in three games, the minimum in squash, in all four matches.
But at the back end of the team, the matches were much closer, with the Bears spurred on by a tremendous performance from Evan Besser '11, who beat his stunned opponent in three games, 9-4, 9-1, 9-1. Head Coach Stuart LeGassick praised No. 5 Besser, saying that Besser came into the match incredibly well and surprised his opponent, who he thought came in a little overconfident.
The second win of the match came from Patrick Davis '10 in a tight five-game encounter at No. 7, with a final score of 9-5, 6-9, 9-10, 9-0, 9-4. Both players performed exceptionally well, pulling out a thrilling third game which remained neck and neck throughout. The deciding factor in the match could well have come from off-court, however, as Jacob Winkler '09, returning from a semester abroad in the fall, proved to be an inspirational presence on the sidelines. The support of the team's beloved number 11 did not go unnoticed as all players made notable improvements upon his appearance courtside as he walked between matches. Yet even this was unable to prevent the 7-2 loss.
"Dartmouth is a great team," Harrow said. "I think we all played really well. On a personal level, I felt I had one of my best matches of the year, but it's always hard to win at No. 3. As a team we are able to win because we are deep and have consistent quality throughout the lineup."
The women's team faced an extra challenge this weekend, facing two incredibly tough opponents in two days. Play against Stanford on Friday began at 7:45 p.m. and the match remained neck and neck until the ninth and final match, ending at 11:05 p.m. Four of the matches went to the maximum five games, with a sensational display of stamina from Breck Haynes '09 during her close loss at No. 4, propelling the rest of the team forward. All of the matches proved incredibly close, with Sophie Scherl '11 emerging victorious from a nail-biting fifth game at 10-9.
The last match of the day came from Kali Schellenberg '10 with the teams tied at four matches each. Schellenberg performed spectacularly under pressure, pulling out a 9-6 victory in the fifth match.
"The match was more tough mentally than physically," Schellenberg said. "My opponent was a real fighter."
LeGassick emerged from the encounter brimming with pride for his team.
"This was an amazing match," he said. "Probably the closest match I've seen in 18 years."
Without much rest, the women's team went on to face No. 7 Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.
"We're all obviously pretty tired from last night's match," Schellenberg said before the match. "But this is our last big one before the Howe Cup, so we're putting it all out there."
Her statements were validated by another brilliant performance from the whole team, with Scherl again toughing it out to win in five. Teammates Sarah Roberts '10 and Schellenberg also stood out in their personal victories, yet it was Charlotte Steel '09 who excelled in the match, pulling out a straight game win at No. 3, winning 9-4, 9-3, 9-5. Despite displays of determination from the rest of the Bears, particularly captain Minoo Fadaifard '08, the team eventually succumbed to Dartmouth in their third 5-4 match in a week.
Both the men's and women's teams face Tufts at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts.
