After a season of significant obstacles and a scattering of high points, the women's squash team closed out its season on a positive note. Though the final performances produced some disappointment among team members, most said the squad's overall finish was strong.
The team officially wrapped up the season this past weekend by sending senior co-captain Anne Montesano to the Singles Nationals competition in New Jersey. Montesano won her first match in the B Flight Championship over Wesleyan's Tarsah Dale 3-0 on Friday morning, but fell to Bowdoin's Kristin O'Brien 0-3 that afternoon and lost her consolation match on Saturday by the same score against Haverford's Abby Stern.
"I played really well [against Bowdoin]," Montesano said. "It was a great way to end the season."
For coach Coach Doug Eng, Montesano's finish appearance at Nationals was a positive note on a season that underwent a rocky start.
"The season started out tough," coach Doug Eng said. "Our first trip was difficult because we were traveling without several players. The freshmen didn't know what to expect, and there were a lot of nerves. We lost to teams that we could have beaten at full strength".
Those losses included falling to Bowdoin college 5-4 by just two points on Jan. 27, and losing to Connecticut College 5-4 on Feb. 10.
Injuries proved damaging, too. Included in the list of missing players during the early matches was the team's top player, junior Winne So. Eng said everyone felt the loss of the number one player and that it put the team in a tough position.
Montesano agreed, saying that "when she was gone it was a challenge for all of us because we all had to move up to a spot we weren't familiar with." As a result, each Tufts athlete competed against more challenging players than usual.
Eng also said that So's absence resulted in a change of focus for the team. While goals had been set last season to win the division at Nationals, the team felt differently without its top player in place.
"Our goals became more qualitative," Eng said. "We weren't playing by the numbers; we were playing well in matches for players to win their matches."
Nevertheless, the team did see some high points in So's absence. On Dec. 2, the women beat Wesleyan 7-2. And on Nov. 17 when So, sophomore AJ Crane and freshman Nida Ghouse were all absent, the team lost to a strong William Smith by just one point. Knowing that the team could continue to play strong without its top player was crucial.
"That was what made the Wesleyan win so big for us," Eng said.
When So returned, the team's confidence picked up. Players no longer felt they were in a losing position, and were able to think positively. So admitted to playing an important psychological role on the time. "I kind of have to step it up sometimes and help out other players when they're having problems, but I don't mind," So said.
For most of the team's players, the season ended on the weekend of Feb. 15-17 with wins in two of its three Howe Cup Tournament matches. Montesano said the meet ended an up and down season on a decidedly up note.
"Everyone came together at the end of the season and was playing solidly by nationals," she said. "We all wanted to end up playing strong and I think we did."
So, who won all three of her matches that weekend, felt differently. "Personally it was kind of a disappointment, but I think everyone gave their all," she said.
Now, the women are looking ahead to next year. The team will lose Montesano and senior Justine Kurland, while sophomore Leigh Checchio will take a leave of absence. The team is looking at a couple of recruits, and junior Abigail Cushman will be back at number two.
"It will be pretty much the same team as at the end of this season, so it will be solid," Eng said. "[This year we were] very deep in the middle of the lineup. Next year we will be more spread out".
So said the most important thing next year is team confidence. "We're still a very young team," she said. "Some of the players have just picked up squash in college, so they might not have the right mindset. They get intimidated when the other player is strong."
