The women's squash team finished its season on a low note last weekend at the Howe Cup after an altogether productive year. Coach Doug Eng's stated goal before the season had been a national ranking of 17th. The Jumbos met their coach's goal, ranking as high as 12th at one point, before finishing up 16th.
This weekend was monumental for the Jumbos' season as the regular season is merely used for seeding for the Howe Cup (Nationals), which was held at Yale this year.
Entering the weekend, the Jumbos knew they would face some of their toughest competition of the year, but the team members remained optimistic."We're focused on Nationals," captain Justine Kurland said before the weekend.
The Jumbos first encountered a Colby team they knew would be tough. "They are a deeper team than us, but we're stronger at the top," Eng said of the match.
Tufts has been relying on their depth all year - winning with strong contributions from all the players on the starting team - but struggled against the increased competition last weekend.
The Jumbos were blanked by Colby in the first round of the Howe Cup. The only player able to win a game was freshman A.J. Crane (who won two, but eventually lost the best of five match).
"We're a very emotional team," Eng said. "Sometimes it works for us, this time it didn't." The disappointing first match was too much for the young team to overcome.
The Jumbos' next match was against a Saint Lawrence team they had beaten just two weeks before. This time, though, Tufts couldn't quite pull out a win.
"Their top two players are very tough," Eng said. "We knew we had to win five matches from the three through nine players."
The pressure was too much for the Jumbos, who lost by a close 5-4 margin. Tufts was able to win its seven, eight, and nine matches, capitalizing on its depth advantage, and received a convincing victory from sophomore Abi Cushman, who needed only three games to dispose of her opponent in the number three spot.
The four, five, and six players, however, couldn't come up with the one victory Tufts needed to emerge with a win. Sophomore Eileen Connors, playing in the number six spot, pushed her match to the fifth and deciding game before falling 9-6 in a heartbreaker.
"Our inexperience showed," said Eng. "I don't think the players knew how hard the other teams were going to come out."
In the final match, the Jumbos took on a strong Middlebury team that has been ahead of them in the national polls almost the entire season. Despite convincing wins from sophomore sophomore Winnie So and graduate student Zaina Al-Awadi, playing in the one and two spots, respectively, the Brown and Blue couldn't come away with any other wins.
Despite the disappointing end to this season, the Howe Cup, much like the whole season, was a learning experience for the young team.
"The Howe Cup helped to clarify our goals for next year," assistant coach Missy Meo said.
"We had a taste of what could have been, but lost it," Eng said. For the Jumbos, the lesson will hopefully serve as an impetus to push next year's more experienced team into the running for tops in the second division.
Not all of the players on the team can start thinking about next year, though. Winnie So and Zaina Al-Awadi will compete in the individual nationals March 2-4 at Harvard.
