Men's squash knew that if it was to be stopped this weekend in its quest for an Intercollegiate Squash Association team title, its downfall would come in a rematch.
Yet the Tigers could never have anticipated that their title run would end so soon, almost before it even started, in their "other" rematch.
While many looked ahead to a semifinal meeting with second-seeded Harvard Saturday that would have pitted the Tigers against the only team to beat them this season, few thought that Princeton would have too much trouble getting by sixth-seeded Amherst, a team the Tigers had defeated, 7-2, just nine days ago.
The Lord Jeffs, however, stunned the Tigers in the first round, 5-4, ending the Tigers' title hopes and sending Princeton into the consolation draw.
Although Princeton (13-2 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) rebounded to take fifth place at ISAs with impressive wins over Denison (9-0) and Western Ontario (8-1), it was little consolation to a team that looked to challenge for a title.
"We came in high, playing so well," sophomore No. 2 Peter Yik said. "It was a huge letdown to go into a match like that, to a team we had beaten, and to lose. I know everyone on the team feels we should have won."
Tip the scales
The difference this time came down to five-game matches. In its first meeting, Princeton took three of four individual matches that went the distance against the Lord Jeffs.
Friday, four more Tigers – junior No. 1 Amir Give'on, senior No. 4 Ted Roosevelt, senior No. 5 Harrison Sebring and junior No. 9 Steve Lilley – played to a decisive fifth game, but each came away empty-handed, losing 3-2.
Yik (3-1), senior No. 3 Ben Fishman (3-0), senior No. 6 Pierre Bastien (3-0) and freshman No. 8 Marshall Sebring (3-0) provided wins for the Tigers against Amherst.
The Tigers weren't without their chances. Give'on led his match, 2-0, and Lilley his, 2-1, before each lost in five, and junior No. 7 Gardner Lamotte suffered his only loss of the season, 3-1.
"You don't win matches that way," head coach Bob Callahan '77 said.
Instead of moving on to face eventual tournament champion Harvard, which defeated Trinity, 5-4, in yesterday's championship match, Princeton was forced to settle for an anticlimactic fifth-place finish.
Fallen comrade
"It was disappointing to us because they had done such an incredible job this year after Alan was lost, pulling upset after upset," Callahan said, referring to his team's late-season winning streak heading into the tournament after junior No. 4 Alan Cantlin went down with a wrist injury.
"It was a crushing defeat," he said. "I think the whole team felt that they got the wind knocked out of them."
Although Princeton's primary goal for the season was to win a team championship, a few Tigers will still have the opportunity to play for – and add to – individual honors.
Fishman, who received the Skillman Award over the weekend – voted upon by peers and coaches for demonstrating the highest level of sportsmanship in men's squash – will join Give'on and Yik at next weekend's season-ending individual championships held in Amherst, Mass.
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