As students made their way back to campus during the final days of winter break, the Tufts men’s and women’s squash teams headed to San Diego to play against Denison University. The men and women alike saw lots of success on Saturday, with the men taking home a clean 9–0 sweep and the women only dropping one match, winning 8–1. The wins were much needed to start the momentum for 2025 after both teams lost to Cornell in December.
On the men’s side, only one game was given up by the fourth-seeded junior Jared Chin, with everyone securing 3–0 wins. The most successful match saw eighth-seeded sophomore Rohan Bhatia only giving up 12 points with scores of 11–6, 11–3 and 11–3.
“We’ve been putting in a lot of work the past few days on our training trip so it was nice to put that practice into play,” Bhatia wrote in an email to the Daily.
Despite their 3–4 record, the men’s team currently sits 10th in the nation, per the College Squash Association. All of their losses have come against teams with a better rank than them, and they will not have to face a better team than the 11th ranked Williams for the rest of the regular season.
“It would be great to win a lot of the tough matches we have coming up like Williams and Dartmouth, so that we can put ourselves in a good position for the NESCAC and National champs,” Bhatia wrote.
Up next for the team is a home match today against Dartmouth, ranked 12th by the College Squash Association. The Jumbos have come up short against the Big Green each of the four times they have played since 2022, but this time they look to take home the victory, practicing diligently for the occasion.
“Our preparation has included intense sessions both on and off the court,” senior Youssef Ezzo wrote in an email to the Daily. “We lift twice a week and did many track and hill workouts during pre season to be in good condition when the season rolled around. We play matches with one another all the time to stay sharp and we make sure everyone is involved and is being supported.”
While the teams worked hard during their time in San Diego, they also got time to bond and relax, which they found to be some of the highlights of the trip.
“The trip was a great bonding experience for us all. I personally really enjoyed our morning training on the beach or in the park,” Bhatia wrote.
In agreement, Ezzo wrote, “I really enjoyed working out on the beach and then having the time to enjoy the water and weather. We played a lot of beach soccer and football and spent time relaxing with each other in the hot tub and pool at the hotel. This helped us stay close together as we were always doing activities with one another.”
The women achieved a similar result in their match against Denison this past Saturday. They took home all but one match with 3–0 wins from seniors Aleezah Burhan and Nieve Monderer, sophomore Sora Karanja, junior Mafi Pinot, first-year Anika Parr and sophomore Bridget Schutt, in order of ranking. First-seeded senior Riddhi Joshi fell 11–7, 11–9 and 11–5. First-year Mia Kim took her first career win for the Jumbos, defeating Buzzard Tess Lanza 11–2, 7–11, 11–0, 11–1, dominating the last two games.
“Lots of hard work really being dug in during practice pays off in matches,” sophomore Sonya Bajaj wrote in an email to the Daily. “Our team is very [determined] and has a real passion for the sport so wanting to push new boundaries comes naturally to us. We play 5–6 times a week for 1–2 hours of hard training and twice a week [lift] at the varsity gym. We also came in 10 days early and went on a training [trip] to San diego where we played for a couple of hours a day and also did a workout. [I] think it’s phenomenal what tufts squash has achieved coming into [Division I] nationals since the past 2 years.”
Bajaj bested Denison’s Kate Manderlink 11–3, 11–3, 7–11, 11–6 at the fifth spot of the women’s ladder.
The women’s team was ranked 12th by the CSA, and although they hold a 2–5 record, the highest-ranked team they have to play for the rest of their season will be their match against 11th-ranked Dartmouth on Wednesday. The match, which will see both the men’s and women’s teams playing, begins at 4 p.m. in the Tufts Squash Center located inside the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center.
