The women's squash team went into winter break on the heels of a commanding 7-2 win over No. 31 Boston College on Dec. 5, armed with an even 4-4 record.
But with two losses on Saturday and two more on Sunday, the team has now lost some momentum, dropping four matches in a row.
Tufts had a busy slate this weekend, playing four matches in two days. On Saturday, Tufts lost to No. 17 Hamilton 8-1 and then to No. 12 Amherst 9-0. Junior Mercedes Barba, playing at the No. 3 position, had the Jumbos' only win of the day.
On Sunday at the Yale Round Robin, Tufts fell 9-0 to George Washington and 5-4 against St. Lawrence. Against St. Lawrence, the top four in the Jumbos' ladder all won, but the No. 26 Saints used a strong effort at the bottom to upset the No. 23 Jumbos.
Against the Lord Jeffs, every Jumbo except senior captain Valerie Koo and junior Alix Michael fell in straight sets. Koo snatched her first game 11-8, but managed only 14 combined points in the final three, while Michael salvaged a 13-11 win in the third set before sophomore Anne Piper closed out the match. Barba's lone victory came in three games, including a hard-fought 12-10 outcome in the third and deciding set.
The Jumbos did, however, take their first match of the second semester over No. 27 Wellesley on Jan. 20. The Jumbos were a bit sluggish, coming off a late return to campus that allowed them little practice time compared to their competition, but they managed to rally, beating Wellesley in a 5-4 decision. It was the 14th consecutive loss for the Blue.
"Coming back three days early when no one else is on campus definitely helps team chemistry and the feeling that you're playing for every other girl on the squad," Michael said. "It was good to be back on the court together and helped us get our shots back. It's unfortunate, though, that we were one of the very last squash teams in the league to come back, because we're still getting back on our feet."
The Jumbos had previously beaten the Blue 6-3 on Dec. 2. This time around, Tufts received victories at No. 2 through No. 6 on the ladder.
"Our 5-4 win was closer than it should've been, but considering that they had already been playing a lot of matches this semester, we did what we had to do and it got us on a good start," Koo said. "We're playing better and better each game, starting with the Wellesley match. Everyone is improving with each match that they play."
Individually, No. 4 sophomore Jessica Rubine allowed Wellesley sophomore Marguerite Sulmont to score just five points in three games, while sophomore Ushashi Basu managed her overall victory in four games despite dropping the third game 11-8. Basu dominated the fourth game 11-2 to secure the win.
At the No. 1 position, Michael lost to freshman Rosemary O'Connor in three games, after beating her in a close five-game matchup in the Dec. 2 match. The Jumbos' usual No. 7 player, sophomore Hafsa Chaudhry, was out of the lineup, forcing sophomores Risa Meyers, Caitlin Doherty and Chelsea Dickson to move up one spot in the ladder. Doherty and Meyers each lost their respective matches 3-1.
Tufts has continued to beat lower-ranked teams and lose to higher ranked teams, but it is preparing for matches this weekend against No. 21 Bowdoin and No. 20 Colby with hopes to steadily inch up the rankings.
"We're on the right track. We're taking steps to get close to their level," Koo said. "Up and down the ladder, we've won games against the schools we've played so far and that's good considering we just got back from break."
