' Less than one week after consecutive doubleheaders, the Tufts women's squash team took on No. 21 Wesleyan and No. 6 Stanford, seeking its first victory in 2010. But in the end, Tufts fell to both opponents, bringing its record down to 1-10 overall.
In Sunday's matchup against Stanford, a traditional squash powerhouse, the Tufts squad knew it needed to be prepared to face one of the toughest opponents of the season. The Jumbos put forth a valiant effort, but they still were unable to notch a victory at any spot, falling 9-0 to the No. 6-ranked team.
'[Stanford's] program is really good,' junior tri-captain Valerie Koo said. 'They were obviously a lot stronger than us, but we did what we could and played our hardest.'
Although no Tufts player was successful in forcing a fourth game against her opponent, many stepped up their play against a very talented Stanford squad. Sophomore Alix Michael, for one, tallied 22 points in her loss to nationally-ranked No. 24 Kerrie Sample in the No. 2 slot, while Koo fell to freshman Pamela Chua, the 17th best player in the country.
'I think Alix played pretty well this afternoon,' Koo said. 'Her opponent was pretty tired from playing Harvard right before us, and she really capitalized and managed to get a lot of points against her.'
During Friday's action against Wesleyan, only two Jumbos were successful in forcing a fifth game. Michael and classmate Mercedes Barba - playing at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively - earned Tufts' two individual victories on the day, winning in five and four sets, respectively. Michael dominated her opponent in the fifth game 11-4, while Barba followed suit and pulled out an 11-8 victory in the final game.
Unfortunately for Tufts, though, the power generated from the sophomore class was not enough to carry the team as it fell 7-2 to the Wesleyan. Aside from Michael and Barba, only Koo, who played at the No. 1 spot, did not get swept in three games, as the third-year took Casey Simchik into five sets, falling despite leading 2-0 early.
But while they did not get the results they were looking for from the first match, the Jumbos felt that they started the weekend off on a good note.
'I think overall we did pretty well,' Koo said. '[Wesleyan] is seeded pretty high, and they are slightly stronger, but it was a pretty good match for all of us.'
With several of their toughest matches behind them, though, the Jumbos look forward to a big month in February, beginning with the NESCAC Championships at Trinity this weekend. Separating the squad and that pivotal match will be Tuesday's road matchup versus local rival Northeastern.
