Following an 0-3 showing in the NESCAC tournament, which included a first-round loss to Amherst and consolation losses to Colby and Conn. College, Tufts women's squash redeemed itself this past week with two decisive victories, an 8-0 sweep of Northeastern Thursday night and an 8-1 victory over Vassar College on Sunday morning.
On Sunday, the national 23rd-ranked Jumbos traveled to New York to take on No. 27 Vassar. Five of the day's nine matches lasted four games, with Tufts winning four of them.
Playing in the No. 1 spot, junior Jessica Rubine won the first two games 11-4 and 11-9 before dropping her third game, 9-11. A close fourth game ensued, but Rubine prevailed with a 12-10 victory.
Tufts secured victories in the next four spots on the ladder as well. Senior co-captain Mercedes Barba and freshmen Paige Dahlman and Ann Bellinger each won in three games, while senior co-captain AlyseVinoski cruised past sophomore Lisa Evans, 11-4, 11-2, and 11-5.
The No. 6 matchup featured Tufts junior HafsaChaudhry and junior Jill Levine. Chaudhry took the first two games 11-7 and 11-8, but Levine came back to tie it with wins in the third and fourth. An injury to Chaudhry prevented the deciding fifth game from being played, resulting in Vassar's lone victory by default.
The remaining three matches were won by juniors UshashiBasu, Caitlin Doherty and DesenOzkan. Ozkan lost a grueling first game 18-16, but she snagged the next three to capture the ninth-spot victory and cap the 8-1 win for the Jumbos.
"Vassar was an important match for us," Basu said. "It was a solid win. Everyone, as a team, played better against Vassar. Everyone's starting to get on the court and be confident.
"It was exciting to win after a tough time at the NESCACs," she added.
Three days earlier, Tufts made the short trip to take on 36th-ranked Northeastern. The Jumbos dominated the entire night, and the only match that was not decided in three games was Rubine's atop the ladder. She won a close first two games 11-8 and 11-9, but Northeastern's Jennifer Janeck claimed the third game 11-6 and hung around for another competitive fourth game before finally falling, 13-11.
The next eight matches were all straight-set, Jumbos victories. Notable performances included victories by Dahlman against Amanda Georgescu (11-3, 11-2, 11-3), Vinoski against Hoai Tran (11-8, 11-3, 11-3), and Basu against Sarah Ganley (11-0, 11-1, 11-2).
Doherty nearly pitched a perfect game against SumitaMukund, winning by scores of 11-0, 11-1, and 11-0.
The number nine match was not played, and the Jumbos left the gym with an 8-0 victory.
"I think [these wins] will boost morale for the team. We're excited for the wins, and I think everyone is looking forward to the Howe Cup," Barba said, referring to the national tournament which will be held at Harvard from Feb. 24-26.
"Everyone's playing well at this point in the season," Basu added.
With the victories over Vassar and Northeastern, the Jumbos improve to 9-12 overall and have now won consecutive contests for the first time since Dec. 3.
After the Howe Cup, the season will conclude with the CSA Individual Championships at Amherst in the first week of March.
The Jumbos still have one match remaining before the championship season begins. On Friday evening, they will play Wellesley College, ranked 24th nationally, at Belmont Hill for Senior Night and their final home match.
Tufts dominated Wellesley 9-0 in the team's first match of the season on Nov. 18.
