Men's Squash defeats #25 Hobart, 8-1

Williamstown, MA- The Williams men's squash team bounced back from a morning loss to defeat the #25 ranked Hobart Statesmen 8-1.

In the first round of matches, First years Carl Shuck '20 and Claude Smith '20 came out of the gates guns blazing, blanking both of their opponents 3-0. Carl Shuck said of his performance, "That victory was huge for my confidence. Watching the crowd get excited really pumped me up and elevated me to victory." Claude Smith '20 added, "It was awesome to see the camaraderie out here. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Carl find his stride."

Will Means '20 played tough in his 5 game victory over Felipe "Phil" Pantle. He won his final game 12-10, outlasting his opponent in extra points. Means said "I felt as though I got better as the match went on. I made a few mistakes early, but pulled it together for a close win." In the final match of the first round, Mason Elizando '18 fell 3-0 to Terrance Rose. 

In the second round, the Ephs went undefeated. Ben Eisenberg '19, Neel Jain '19, and John Shuck '17 beat their opponents 3-0 in relatively quick matches. John Fitzgerald '19 on the other hand, played a marathon match, winning 11-9 in the fifth. Fitzgerald bounced back from an early 2-1 deficit with phenomenal fourth and fifth games.

Assistant Coach Blair Dils was excited about Fitzgerald's win. He said, "The boys did well to rebound nicely after a tough match against Drexel. John Fitzgerald was outstanding filling in for Jamie Ruggiero at number one. It was one of the best matches he's played in his brief career."

Captain John Shuck '17 echoed Coach Dils' sentiment, "I am very pleased with the teams level of focus in the afternoon.  I think we are definitely hitting our stride as we approach a couple of important matches in January."

The Ephs look to maintain their momentum in their Sunday afternoon match against M.I.T.