This past weekend, the 23rd−ranked women's squash team traveled across town to Harvard for the Howe Cup National Championships. The Jumbos competed in the Walker C Division — consisting of teams ranked 17th through 24th — and went 1−2 against a trio of NESCAC opponents. The Jumbos were swept in their first−round contest by their NESCAC rival, the No. 18 Lord Jeffs. They recovered nicely in consolation play on Saturday, winning 6−3 against a Camels team that had defeated them twice in the regular season, but then struggled once more on the final day in an 8−1 loss to the Colby Mules.
Both Tufts and Amherst entered the weekend riding the momentum of three−game win streaks, but the Lord Jeffs were the better team and defeated the Jumbos handily.
All nine players in the Tufts ladder fell in three games, though two Jumbos in particular kept it close. Freshman Paige Dahlman won at least six points in each game, while senior co−captain Alyse Vinoski notched eleven and eight points in her first two games before being held scoreless in the third.
The following day, Tufts emerged with renewed purpose and focus in the match against No. 22 Conn. College. The Jumbos capitalized on the Camels' top player, Caroline Sargent, being sidelined, and they never looked back.
Senior co−captain Mercedes Barba set the tone at the No. 1 spot, fighting back from 1−0 down to win in four games. Dahlman again played a hard−fought match, coming from behind to win in four. She sealed things with a 13−11 fourth−set victory.
Moving to 11−13 on the season after the 6−3 victory over the Camels, the Jumbos faced a more talented opponent in No. 21 Colby. Although they lost 8−1 overall, the lopsided result belies how competitive the matches were.
Four of the matches went to at least four games, and three of those were decided in five. Dahlman, the lone winner, came from behind to win a five−game thriller. Trailing 2−0, Dahlman rallied and kept the momentum to wrap up the victory. Vinoski and junior Jessica Rubine each lost a heartbreaker in five games, while junior Hafsa Chaudhry lost in four.
"Knowing that this was our last team tournament of the season, everyone stepped up their games a notch," Dahlman said. "We had some very close matches this weekend that displayed our improvement and skill."
With their match against Colby, the Tufts women concluded their team season with a record of 11−14.
Although the weekend failed to end on a high note, the Jumbos' victory on Saturday and valiant effort on Sunday offer them some degree of optimism heading into the offseason.
"All season long, we had struggles focusing during our matches and trying not to let the pressure get to us," Chaudhry said. "I think we did a good job of going out on the court on Saturday and Sunday feeling like we had everything to win and finally focusing our energy on our best games."
After making marked improvements as a team this year, Tufts will head to the College Squash Association Individual Championships at Amherst on March 2−4.
They know that they will only get better in the future.
"Our work during practices definitely paid off, and we're ready to keep training on our own during the offseason so we can have an even stronger season next year," Chaudhry said.
