Women's Squash | Tufts overcomes Colby but then drops three straight
February 2The nationally ranked No. 18 women's squash team entered the NESCAC Tournament over the weekend hoping to ride the momentum of a two-game winning streak against a tough first-round opponent in the Colby Mules. The Jumbos were successful in that task, edging Colby 5-4 before dropping their next three matches of the tournament 9-0 to Trinity and Bates on Saturday and 5-4 to Amherst in a nail-biter on Sunday morning in Hartford, Conn. Despite the disappointment of losing three conference matches in one weekend, the squad remained upbeat about the experience of playing competitive matches with upper- echelon teams. "It was a really good weekend," senior tri-captain Jessica Herrmann said. "We got to play our first really close matches. Against Colby, we had to fight for it and want it. We've had a lot of matches that were blowouts for or against us, which are good for practice. But they don't do a whole lot for us." Tufts entered its matchup with Amherst, the No. 17-ranked squad in the country, coming off a tough Saturday of being swept by two elite teams. The Jumbos were also fighting fatigue from having to compete in their fourth match in three days. Despite the adversity, the team rallied to play a significantly more competitive match than its first meeting with the Lord Jeffs, a 9-0 loss in early December. "Two of the girls lost in five sets, which was heartbreaking," assistant coach Kelsey Engman said. "But we should also be proud that all of the training and work that we've done paid off, which showed in the improvement between this match and the last one. We could have won it." Sophomore Valerie Koo at No. 3, freshman Mercedes Barba at No. 4 and junior Katie Stork at No. 8 all delivered straight-set victories, while Herrmann hung tough to win a four-set affair at No. 5. For Tufts, the drain of playing a full weekend of matches, most of which took place early in the morning, may have played a role in the outcome against Amherst. "We haven't played that many matches this year, so we were tired by the end of the weekend," Engman said. "Being the eighth seed, we also had to play some early-morning matches at 8 or 8:30 a.m. Even things like not getting enough sleep can be a factor." With the end-of-season Howe Cup coming up two weeks from now, the Jumbos would relish the opportunity to play Amherst a third time. "I think we surprised them a little bit given the score of the first match," Herrmann said. "We could have come out on top, and I think we would all like a rematch with them at Nationals." On Saturday, Tufts squared off against two of the top 12 teams in the country. In the afternoon, the Jumbos lost 9-0 to Bates in a consolation match. Senior Caroline Choi, playing No. 9 on the ladder, was the lone Jumbo to take a set in that contest. Earlier that day Tufts faced off with Trinity, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation and eventual tourney winner. Despite the final 9-0 score, there were positive developments in the match. Senior tri-captain Victoria Barba, playing at No. 1, and her sister Mercedes, playing at No. 3, won 14 and 12 points, respectively. Play on Friday saw Tufts defeat a Colby team ranked four spots higher on the national ladder, 5-4, in the first round of the tournament. Tufts, who was actually seeded one spot above Colby for NESCACs, was buoyed by strong straight-set performances from several players, including Herrmann, senior tri-captain Simone Grant and freshman Alix Michael. "We knew that Colby would be a tough match, and we came in well-prepared," Engman said. "The NESCAC has a lot of good teams, and beating Colby ensured we wouldn't finish in the bottom three." With two weeks remaining in the season, the players are still focusing on sharpening their play in anticipation of Nationals, which will continue in a Thursday battle with regional foe Wellesley. "We want to work on our drop-shots and front-court game," Engman said. "We've been working a lot on keeping our shots deep and to the back of the court, and now we just need to work on attacking and putting our shots away."
