Coming off a winter break trip to Jamaica, the women's squash team continued its sparkling season with a 9-0 victory over St. Lawrence on Saturday. The match, held at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., was Tufts' first over the Saints in at least nine years.
Following first-semester wins over Bowdoin and Conn. College, the win was another showcase of the Jumbos' resurgence this season, and propels them into Saturday's Smith-Mount Holyoke Tournament on a five-game winning streak, their longest since at least the 1999-2000 season.
The team ended its first-semester schedule over six weeks ago, holding a 5-2 record and a four-game winning streak. After a month-long break, seven Jumbos reconvened on Jan. 7 in Kingston, Jamaica, hometown of junior Simone Grant, for a week of training and match play against nationally ranked Jamaican players.
"It's good to have a break; it gives you a chance to come back ready because you want to be playing and working hard," senior co-captain Rebecca Rice said. "By the time you get to Jamaica, it's like 'okay, it's squash time.' You don't have to worry about classes or anything. You just play squash."
That training seems to have paid off at Yale. Despite a delay due to an overloaded court schedule, the Jumbos posted a quick 9-0 victory over the Saints for their first sweep of the season. The team forwent its normal three-court system and opted instead for a five-court system, in which even players play first instead of odd.
"We were so much stronger than St. Lawrence so the five-court system was probably to their disadvantage," first-year assistant coach Kelsey Engman said. "In a closer match it may have affected us, but since we haven't played a five-court system yet, it was a good introduction."
Many of the team's early-season matches highlighted its invaluable depth, as the lower half of the ladder proved to be the difference in close wins over Conn. College, Bowdoin and Amherst. That depth was on full display on Saturday, and was matched by an equally strong showing from the top of the ladder, where No. 1 Rice and junior Victoria Barba, a relative newcomer to the No. 2 spot, both picked up wins.
Grant at No. 8 had the most thrilling match of the day, taking St. Lawrence junior Blake Carbone into five games to pull out the 3-9, 9-4, 9-2, 2-9, 10-8 win.
Freshman Valerie Koo continued her clutch play at No. 5, defeating sophomore Alyssa Smith 9-7, 9-1, 9-0 for her fifth win of the season. Except for the Jumbos' two 9-0 losses, Koo has won every match she has played this season, four at the No. 5 spot and one at No. 4.
"Valerie Koo also has been critical in the ladder," Engman said. "Oftentimes, matches come down to her match. She's only a freshman and has three more years, so I can't wait to see how much she'll improve."
Rice's 9-5, 9-0, 9-1 win over sophomore Meg North was her first of the season. Rice struggled with injury earlier in the season, sitting out the team's Dec. 2 match, but powered past North to get a win for the top of the ladder. Barba, who moved up to No. 2 for the team's Dec. 2 match against Northeastern, posted a triple bagel (9-0, 9-0, 9-0) over St. Lawrence sophomore Jacqueline Barrett.
"Victoria ... didn't even lose a point," Engman said. "She was even playing in the number two spot, which makes it even more difficult to obtain such an outcome."
Currently, the Jumbos are tied at No. 12 in the Dec. 17 College Squash Association's rankings, the most recent available. Four regional teams - Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton and Mount Holyoke - share the spot with the Jumbos, but two are likely to fall in the next ranking. Bowdoin has dropped to 4-8 and is on a three-game losing streak, and Colby has since fallen to 3-4. Hamilton and Mount Holyoke still stand strong with 8-2 and 7-2 records, respectively, although the Jumbos will have a chance to change one of those records this weekend when they take on Hamilton.
The No. 12 ranking is unlikely to change too much, according to Engman, and it places the Jumbos comfortably in the B Division, which consists of Nos. 9 through 16.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we came in 12th again," Engman said. "We should be a high B, [and] last year they were in the C division."
This weekend, the Jumbos will head to the Smith-Mount Holyoke Tournament and battle Hamilton and William Smith. Tufts fell to both squads last year, but with noticeable improvement this season and record-breaking wins against teams like Bowdoin and St. Lawrence, the team carries high hopes for this weekend, as well as the bulk of the season that is still ahead.
"[William Smith] lost their No. 1; I think we're going to beat them," Engman said. "Hamilton should be a real close game, but we have a good chance against them as well."
