The women's squash team fell short in both of their NESCAC matches this weekend, a major hit to their hope for a breakout season, which had looked promising in the light of early-season successes. Tufts fell 9-0 to Bates on the road on Friday and followed that with a narrow 6-3 loss to Colby, a more beatable opponent, on the MIT courts.
Like the Jumbos, the nationally ranked No. 14 Mules had recently fallen to Bates in the NESCAC Championships, albeit by a closer score of 6-3, and presented a much easier challenge than the Bobcats had.
Sophomore Stefanie Marx, playing at No. 3, took the court first and ignited the electric tone of the match with a five-game win. Her back-and-forth battle with Colby junior Jess Vogel started off with a 9-1 first-game win and a 2-1 lead after the third game. Vogel came back to take the fourth game 9-1, but fell to Marx's steady control in the final game, 9-2.
"I think that Stef's win ... really inspired everyone else; she was playing high in the ladder and she proved that we could win at any spot on the ladder," assistant coach Kelsey Engman said in an email to the Daily. "Before the match, we talked about how everyone was going to be able to win and that we should go in with that mentality ... She is a great example of mental toughness for everyone on the team."
The lower ladder has been the Jumbos' consistency and strength this season, and it delivered over the weekend, as junior No. 9 Simone Grant and freshman No. 8 Margaret Fisher each swept their opponents in three games.
Grant glided through her match from the beginning against Colby freshman Jae Paik, winning 9-1, 9-3, 9-3. Fisher had a tougher battle at No. 8 against freshman Stephanie Saporito, but triumphed in three, 9-6, 9-2, 9-6.
These victories laid a solid foundation for the matches that followed, but Colby picked up quickly on the Jumbos' weaknesses. Junior Jess Herrmann had a battle at the No. 6 spot against junior Catherine Monrad, down 2-0 going into the third game, but posted a 9-2 comeback in the third. Herrmann was unable to keep up, though, and fell 9-2 in the fourth game.
"Stef's win was amazing, but the two girls at one and two had a very different game from their number three teammate," junior Victoria Barba said. "They were stronger and faster. Rebecca played very well, but I feel the whole team was exhausted after the long week against Brown, Bates and Colby."
Barba fell to her opponent senior Stacy Petro in three, 9-0, 9-2, 9-4.
"Stacy is a shooter and Victoria is more of a retriever, and when Stacy's on she's on," senior co-captain Rebecca Rice said. "But it was evident how hard she tried. Victoria always puts her heart into it; she's always playing 120 percent, which is so hard to do in squash because it's very individualized, and you often have multiple matches in a weekend."
Last on the court was No. 1 Rice against Colby's sophomore Samantha Smith. Playing similar styles, the pair was in a constant battle for control of the court. Smith took the first game 9-3, but Rice battled hard in the second game, holding a lead the majority of the time. But when Rice held a two-point lead, Smith came from behind and took the game. Smith improved her strategy in the final game and swept the match, 9-3, 9-7, 9-6.
"The last two matches were very hard - much more fast paced that any of my matches against Bates," Rice said. "She was a shooter, and I'm a shooter. I like to finish the rally, and she did too. I had no idea how she played, but I looked at some of her results and saw the end of her match against Hamilton. My strategy going in was playing deep to the corners and to attack the volley."
The day before, the Jumbos faced Bates on the road in Lewiston, Maine. The Bobcats, who topped the Jumbos 8-1 in the NESCAC Tournament two weeks ago, made a clean sweep in the sequel for a 9-0 finish. While the Jumbos were not expecting a victory over the No. 12 Bobcats, they had hoped for a more competitive match the second time around.
"We went into Bates with a strong strategy," Barba said. "Our assistant coach [Engman] was on their team and broke down their weaknesses for us. Their team had a strategy based on the previous weekend. Unfortunately for us, they were on their home courts, and the crowd was insane."
Rice posted the most notable match against opponent sophomore Hannah Laverty. Having taken the sole victory in the teams' last meeting, Rice came out strong with a 9-5 win in the first game. Laverty answered back in by taking the next game for a 9-1 finish. The pair traded the next two games, sending the match to a deciding fifth game. Rice was in control with a 5-1 lead, but Laverty came back, pulling out a narrow 9-8 win to take the match.
Sophomore Laura Curren took her opponent, sophomore Whitney Roller, into a four-game battle. She controlled the court in her second game with a 9-4 win but could not sustain Roller's pressure, falling 9-0, 4-9, 9-3, 9-2.
This disappointing weekend has added to a late season downfall for Tufts.
The Jumbos are currently on a six-game losing streak, a complete turnaround from the five-game winning streak they posted during December and into January. The team is now 8-9, but hopes are high for a winning season, which would be a huge improvement over last year's 8-16 mark.
After being vaulted into the No. 16 ranking yesterday, Tufts hopes to close its season on a strong note tomorrow, when it will travel to No. 21 Wellesley. The Jumbos have had the historical edge over the Blue, boasting a four-year winning streak heading into tomorrow's match.
"Wellesley should give us a moral boost for the Howe Cup and end the losing streak we've had," Barba said. "Our goal should be to mentally prepare. We are very close with the teams we play; the proof is in the number of five game matches. We need to learn how to take the win. That should be the one thing we work on, with a technical focus on attacking."
