Underdog or surprise schools are just as much a part of sport as the favored school.  How many times have you seen a team and think “They have no chance” and when they start showing signs of life you back them because you want to see the underdog win? The University of Massachusetts at Amherst was not a seeded school in the Northeast Region hosted at the  Westchester Table Tennis club. 

Umass Amherst came through the prelim Round Robin winning all of their matches and into the QF, SF and Finals and they just kept winning! Northeast Regional Director Ariel Chen says “They were the never say die kind of team, they kept on fighting when all odds were against them, a fan favorite at the regional champs.” 

Coach Andrew Tan is always so eloquent in his replies and once said, “Life happens and it is never always perfect.” On this day, everything was perfect! Well done to Coach Tan and the players from UMass Amherst for giving the sportsfan in all of us an underdog to cheer for! Take note college table tennis fans this is how to support and fight for your team!

Picture of Umass Amherst team