Women's Squash Off To Strong Start

Author: Alison Hertel

In competition last weekend the women's squash team tasted vicory, and the newcomer men's team faced defeat.

The women's squash team played their first matches of the season at the Wesleyan Round Robin last weekend. The women beat St. Lawrence 7-2 and lost to Bates 3-6 on the first day of play. Coming back strong on Saturday, they beat William Smith 9-0 and Hamilton 9-0.

Coach David Saward said, "The team played very well, particularly Sarah Herrup '02 at the number one position on the ladder] who, in losing 2-3 to the number one player from Bates, produced one of the best performances of her career." Herrup said, "I had a great match; it was both physically and mentally challenging. It was a great mental feat to come back after losing two games."

Strong performances by all players produced the team's good results. Saward said, "First-year Beth Seeley won all four of her matches, as did Liza Franyo '04 and Lisa Pilkington '03."

The Wesleyan Round Robin was a strong start for a competitive team. Captain Elizabeth Toan '02 said, "The tournament was a lot fun. The team worked really well together, helping coach each other between matches, and our efforts definitely showed. It was an exciting start to the season." The women's squash team hopes to improve on last year's winning 10-5 record. They have had a winning record since the 1998-1999 season.

They will play their next matches Jan. 11-12 at the Williams Invitational. Saward said, "We will really miss Liza Pilkington and Eliza Funston ['03], who will be abroad for the rest of the year."

The newly founded men's squash club played their first ever matches last weekend at Hamilton. They were defeated by Hamilton 8-1 and Colgate 7-2.

Casper Reske-Nielsen '02, who won his match against Hamilton, said of the tournament, "It was fun, we had some close matches. We played hard, but didn't do as well as we hoped. It motivated us to work a little harder."

James Fradette '02 added, "It was a lot of fun, and we had some challenging matches. We are glad to have a month to prepare for our next match." The men hope to improve when they are back in action in January.