The seventh-seeded Middlebury men's squash team posted a 5-4 upset of second-seeded Tufts on Saturday morning at Trinity in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, before falling to third-seeded Bowdoin 7-2 in the semifinals. The squad will face fifth-seeded Bates in the third place match on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

In the match against Tufts, the Panthers started strong winning four of the first five matches. After the Jumbos led 1-0, Julian Sandoval won 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6) in the sixth slot to tie the match, while Teddy Best won 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 in the top spot of the ladder. PK Keller followed with a 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6) victory at #8 and Will Lichstein increased the lead to 4-1 with a 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 triumph in the third position.

Tufts reeled off three-straight wins, setting up the clinching match in the fourth spot. With the other matches complete, Nate Moll won the final two games to pull out a deciding 3-2 win by the scores of 11-6, 12-14, 6-11, 13-11, 11-1, propelling the Panthers into the semifinals.

Best and Lichstein earned victories in the semifinal bout against Bowdoin. Best fell in the first game, but battled back to claim a point in the top-spot with a win of 3-1 (9-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-4). Lichstein was victorious in the third slot by scores of 11-9, 3-11, 11-3, 11-3. Sandoval had a tight battle at #6, jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but eventually falling 3-2 (11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 11-13, 5-11).