It was rivalry week for the Colby squash teams as the men faced the Bates College Bobcats and the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in a double-header, and the women hosted Bates in a Wednesday night home game.

Unfortunately, only Bates and Bowdoin had reason to celebrate at the end of the week, as neither Colby team was able to come away with a win.

On Friday night, the men’s team started off the weekend with an away match at Bates. The Mules fell 9-0, although Harry Smith ’12, William Sullivan ’13 and Trey Simpson ’14 each forced five games out of their opponents.  Both Smith and Simpson nearly managed to pull off comeback wins, but they ultimately lost their matches in the fifth games.

Saturday, the Mules hosted the Bowdoin team but were unable to capitalize on their home-court advantage, falling in a 7-2 loss. Wins from Smith in the first position and Will Hochman ’14 in the seventh position kept the team from being shut out but were not enough to defeat the Polar Bears. Hochman and Smith each fought through four games to defeat their opponents, demonstrating their stamina by winning by wide margins in the final games of their matches.

The women didn’t fare much better when they played host to Bates on Wednesday night.  First-year phenom Lindsey McKenna registered the only victory for the Mules in their 8-1 loss to 13th-ranked Bates. McKenna has thus far had a very impressive season, proving herself to be a reliable performer in the third position by racking up twelve wins.

This week marked the final home games and and last New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) matches of the season. Next weekend, the teams will travel to Princeton University to play in their team last competition of the season at the Intercollegiate Team Championships. The men and women will work to return to solid form this weekend and hope to make their best showing at the championships. The first weekend in March, individuals will travel to Dartmouth College to compete in the Intercollegiate Singles Championships.