The women's squash team saw a disappointing end to the season, placing third in its division at the Howe Cup Tournament last weekend. The competition, hosted at Yale University, was a culminating event for the season, providing the majority of the players with their last chance to compete this year.
The three day tournament kicked off on a high note with Friday's 7-2 win over Haverford. The team hit a low point on Saturday, falling 5-4 in a match to Vassar. However, it rebounded on Sunday with a win over William Smith College, 7-2.
Head coach Doug Eng summed up the performance "I was satisfied," he said. "We went in thinking we might win because we had played, and done well, against the teams who were ranked ahead of us."
But the Jumbos were met with strong competition and a difficult schedule. They were forced to battle against Vassar and Connecticut College - who took the first and second place positions in the division respectively.
The team's placement was not ideal according to Eng, who partially attributed Tufts' struggles to the strength of the other school's teams. "We won the most matches, so we were strong," he said. "But we had the toughest schedule."
Eng was quick to communicate the success of the individual players, noting that the team's depth is a strength; a lack of star players is made up for by a solid middle ground. Junior Winnie So, and sophomores Leigh Checchio and A.J. Crane, each pulled in a 3-0 record for the weekend. Meanwhile, junior Eileen Connors gave up only nine points during the entire tournament.
Eng was also enthusiastic about the performance delivered by the team's two captains. Senior Justine Kurland finished 2-1, while senior co-captian Anne Montesano was 1-2 in her matches. According to Eng, both captains performed very well considering the intense competition they faced in their individual matches. He acknowledged their hard work, noting that both have seen considerable success.
Though team members pulled through with fairly solid performances, the final results didn't quite parallel the expectations set beforehand by the women. The excitement brought on by competition can allow players to lose the broad focus that is essential to winning.
"I wasn't disappointed," Eng said. "What hurt a little was that we were just too excited. When that happens, you make mistakes you would never make otherwise."
The season will officially end at the Singles Nationals competition, hosted by Princeton on March 1-3. Tufts' third place finish at the Howe Tournament means that only one player will be allowed to attend next weekend's competition, though Eng felt that both captains have earned the right to participate.
Despite the disappointment surrounding the third place finish, Eng stressed that the strengths of a team are not measured only in numbers and statistics. While the season as a whole was not as successful record-wise, he was happy with other aspects.
"The team really came together this year," Eng said. "We played some of our best squash."
He also noted that in terms of barriers to success, the team has had a lot to contend with. Because half of the players use squash courts at Harvard, and half use home courts, split practices provided an obstacle to team bonding. However eventually the women managed to overcome their necessary rift.
"Our goals include playing as a team regardless of the situation, and playing just to have a passion for it," Eng said.
