The 24th-ranked Middlebury men's squash team (5-11) battled #20 Bates on Saturday in a back-and-forth contest, as the Panthers earned a narrow 5-4 victory. The Panther triumph came during a consolation semifinal match of the Summers Cup Division at the CSA Championships. Middlebury returns to the courts on Sunday when it plays in the consolation final against #18 Brown at 12:30 p.m.

The Bobcats posted the initial point with a three-game victory at #6. The Panthers took a 2-1 lead when PK Keller earned a four-game victory (6-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-9) at #8, while Nathan Feinstein was also victorious in four games at #2 (11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4). Bates evened the match at 2-2 with a three-game triumph at the bottom of the ladder.

Middlebury regained a slim lead when Nate Moll earned a 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-3) victory at #4, while Teddy Best made the score 4-2 with a four-game win (11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6) in the top slot. Bates cut the Panther edge in half with a three-game victory at #5.

Alexis Ballo recorded the clinching team point for Middlebury, earning a narrow 3-1 triumph (15-13, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9) over his opponent at #7. Bates picked up a three-game victory at #3 for the final 5-4 tally.