The 17th-ranked Middlebury men's squash team opened its three-match weekend swing through Maine with a 6-3 thrilling victory Friday over #24 Bates in a back-and-forth contest.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers took an early lead when Aditya Kothari swept Maksymilian Celm (11-8, 11-4, 12-10) from the #8 spot.
• The Bobcats leveled the contest with an 11-9, 11-2, 11-8 in the second position of the ladder.
• Middlebury regained the advantage with a battle-tested 47-minute triumph in the sixth slot from Theo Kogan (11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7).
• Bates responded with a 3-0 win in the top spot to even the match at 2-2.
• The Panthers responded with a three-game triumph from Alexis Ballo at #9 (11-4, 11-8, 16-14) for a 3-2 edge.
• The hosts evened the match (3-3) behind a marathon five-game victory in the fourth spot that lasted an hour and 14 minutes.
• Charlie Clifford pushed Middlebury ahead with a 3-0 sweep in the seventh position (11-6, 11-4, 11-7) for a 4-3 score.
• Kian Kardestuncer clinched the match minutes later with an exciting 3-2 win at #3. The Panther fell behind 2-1 before coming back for an 11-2 triumph in the fourth game and a thrilling 16-14 victory in the fifth. The match covered an hour and 11 minutes.
• Caleb Boateng was the last match on the courts at #5, earning a four-game win (5-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-8) to seal the 6-3 win.

NOTES

• Ballo and Kothari each earned their seventh victories this winter.
• The programs played for the 28th time overall with Middlebury holding an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series. The Panthers have won four of the last five meetings.

Middlebury continues NESCAC play on Saturday when it squares off with #22 Bowdoin in a match beginning at 3:00 p.m.