Squash Tyro Niederhoffer Ranks Second in Ivy League Standings

One day early in the fall about a year and a half ago, Jack Barnaby, tennis and squash coach, was intrigued by the performance of one of his freshman prospects out on the tennis court. After the match, Barnaby approached him and said, "Say, that was good ball you were playing out there." And the reply was, "That's nothing, Jack. I'm going to be a champ at your other game." (This when he had never held a squash racket in his hand.)

Vic Niederhoffer isn't nationally ranked as yet, but he comes pretty close. He walked onto a squash court two Novembers ago, and in one year went from fifth on the freshman team to first on the varsity. On the way he picked up trophies in the National Junior Championships this Christmas, and in the Harvard Club Invitationals early this month. Undefeated in Massachusetts "A" League competition, he has lost only two intercollegiate matches, one of them against Jim Zug of Princeton, who is ranked in the top ten nationally.

"He took to squash immediately--I never coached anyone faster," says Barnaby. "I never knew so much learning could be compressed into so little time. Normally I'd show a player a shot, and a month later I might see it in a game. With Vic, the next day he'd be using the shot to beat me."

Barnaby says Niederhoffer is "a Ty Cobb of a competitor--he's only lost one match he should have won--against McGill in the opening match of the season."

Niederhoffer never gives up. In a match this year, his opponent dropped an impossible wood shot near the tin and turned to apologize for it; while he was apologizing, Niederhoffer was retrieving the shot for a point.

According to Barnaby, Niederhoffer is now "beating everyone except the top ten ranking players." Unawed by experience, in the Harvard Club Invitationals he faced one after another of the Philadelphia Marion Cricket Clubbers, who are introduced to squash before baseball. He "mowed them down like a row of nine-pins."

Two weeks ago, Niederhoffer met his match and fell 3-1 to Zug. This Saturday he meets the only other player who ranks above him in the Ivies; Ralph Howe. Howe, a Marion boy from way back, has the match all the way on paper. In fact he will probably come out yawning about his novice opponent. But Niederhoffer just may surprise him while he is busy removing his sweater and leggings.