Nov. 29, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 8-2 Navy squash team will travel to Massachusetts to battle Williams College in its fall finale Friday evening. Action is slated to begin at 6:00 pm at the Carol Girard and Cynthia Stewart Simon Squash Center.

The Mids return to the court after a 12-day break that last saw Navy earn a split decision against Dartmouth and Georgetown. Navy fell just shy of upsetting perennial power Dartmouth in a 5-4 decision, while the Mids easily defeated the Hoyas, 9-0.

The upper half of the ladder has been sensational in the first half of the season for the Midshipmen. Navy has been unbeaten at the No. 1 and 2 spots with Tucker George (West Hartford, Conn.) owning a 7-0 record as the Mids' top player, while second-year standout Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.) has accounted for six of Navy's 10 wins at the No. 2 position. Additionally, Mattsson owns the longest winning streak on the team, winning eight in a row en route to an 8-0 record this fall. Meanwhile, the No. 3 and 4 spots have been tripped up just once each.

While Mattsson has won eight straight, George has won seven in a row, as well as rookie Allan Lutz (McLean, Va.), who has settled into the No. 4 slot for the Midshipmen. Overall he owns a 9-1 record, including a 4-0 record at the No. 3 spot.

Williams plays host to the Midshipmen in what will be just its third match of the year. The Ephs earned an 8-1 victory over Tufts in their opener on Nov. 17 before dropping a 6-3 match to Harvard the following day. Williams is led by senior Jon Barry who closed out the 2006-07 campaign ranked 29th, just behind the Mids' Tucker George. Also returning to the Ephs starting lineup is senior Tony Maruca who earned a rank of 59th, just one spot behind the Mids' Nils Mattsson. George defeated Barry last year in three games, while Mattsson earned a 9-7, 4-9, 9-3, 10-8 victory over Maruca.

Navy leads the all-time series against Williams, 31-16, though the Ephs have won seven in a row against the Midshipmen. Navy's last win over Williams was a 5-4 triumph in 1993 at the ISA Championship held at Princeton.

Following the holiday break, the Midshipmen will compete in exhibition competition at the Philadelphia Club Challenge Jan. 3-6. Navy's first varsity competition of the new year will be Jan. 12 when the Mids play host to Penn at 12:00 pm at the Halsey International Squash Courts.

### Go Navy ###