The women's squash team enters its third week of the season after a week marked by mixed results. Although squad fared well against Wesleyan on Sunday, winning for the first time this season, it struggled against Amherst on Tuesday night. The Lady Jeffs, the tenth ranked team in the nation, had their way with the Jumbos en route to a 9-0 victory.
"They are a better team," coach Doug Eng said after the Amherst game, which anchored the Jumbos to 1-5.
One bright note for the Jumbos was the play of fifth seed Eileen Connors, a junior. Though Connors lost in five-game duel against Amherst's Emily Stak, she put forth an excellent effort (6-9, 9-5, 9-4, 4-9, 9-4).
"I know I could've beaten this girl," Connors said. "I wasn't moving the way I should have been...There are just some things they can do better than us," Connors said. "In order to win, everyone would have to be in the zone."
The team's top three spots didn't fare well, either. Number three player and senior co-captain Justine Kurland suffered a 9-0, 9-2, 9-4 defeat. "She was really tough," Kurland said. "I could have been more aggressive and controlled points more. I moved with her very well though."
Fellow co-captain and senior Anne Montesano, the team's number one player, also had a rough time with the Lady Jeffs, losing 9-2, 9-3 and 9-1 to Amherst #1 Susan Burke. "She was strong, she basically could get a lot of my shots," Montesano said. "I played well, but it's always disappointing to lose"
A few days earlier, the team had been in high spirits after its 7-2 victory over NESCAC rival Wesleyan in Middletown, CT.
"It was an important victory," Eng said. "We expected to win and they didn't [expect to win]."
Montesano led the way for the Jumbos in the top spot, defeating Rebecca Dodge-Katz in four games (6-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-5). Though Nicole Arens and A.J. Crane dropped their matches in the second and sixth spot, the rest of the Jumbos cruised to victories.
Of the remaining six Tufts victories, only Kurland dropped a game, defeating Susan Park 10-8, 5-9, 9-0, 9-5. Sophomore Leigh Checchio, Connors, and freshmen Eliza Drachman-Jones, Nida Ghouse, and Trina Spear all won in three games.
Eng said the team's confidence has played an important role in its steady improvement.
"We have been going into a lot of matches confident," Eng said. "This is a major step towards improvement."
Connors echoed her coach's sentiments in assessing the match. "We have done a lot of hard work," she said. "We played our hardest."
Eng is particularly pleased with his play from the top five spots. "They are all going to be in tight matches," the coach said. "There is a fair amount of parity between the two through five spots and I am confident that whoever we put at the five spot would do quite well."
Despite the 1-5 start, Eng said he remains confident for the rest of the season. "We are definitely gonna get better," Eng said. "There is really only one place to go and that's up."
