Women's squash dominates the beginning of the season with 6-1 record

The No. 19 Jumbos are off to an impressive start this season, going 6–1 in their first seven matches.

On Saturday Dec. 2, Tufts played its first matches after a well-deserved Thanksgiving break. The team traveled to Middletown, Conn. to face William Smith and Wesleyan.

Tufts played No. 21 Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon immediately after facing William Smith. This was the closest match the Jumbos have played this season, as they edged the Cardinals 5–4. High energy coming off of the William Smith match fuelled Tufts against Wesleyan.

“I think the team used the momentum from our 9–0 win against William Smith that morning to keep up our energy for the match against Wesleyan,” Deveaux told the Daily in an email.

The team’s depth was on display in this contest as the wins came from Nos. 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 on the ladder. The Jumbo’s depth was most evident in junior captain Chista Irani (8) and first-year Chloe Kantor's (9) matches as both Irani and Kantor needed just three sets to defeat their opponents.

Playing in the number four position, Windreich’s match decided the outcome of the competition as the score was even at 4–4. Despite the pressure of both teams watching her match, Windreich remained calm and focused, defeating her opponent in four sets.

Playing at number one for her seventh-consecutive match, Yeung was defeated for only the second time this season by Wesleyan senior Laila Samy. Despite this being her first season as a Jumbo, Yeung has impressed teammates and coaches with her high level of play.

“Julie is an extremely talented player. She performs well because of her general composure - in addition to having skilled shots and getting to the ball quickly, she is very calm on court and manages to maintain the same level of play even under stress,” Karthik said in an email to the Daily.

Tufts began the day by defeating William Smith 9–0. Jafry played an impressive and resilient match as she defeated her opponent 13–11 in the fifth set. Each of the five sets in Jafry’s match were decided by a two-point margin. Playing as the fourth seed, first-year Rachel Windreich had a dominant match, defeating her opponent 11–2, 11–1, 11–3.

Before Thanksgiving break, Tufts faced Mount Holyoke and Hamilton at home on Nov. 18, followed by Wellesley and Boston College on Nov. 19. The Jumbos were dominant against all four opponents, losing just two matches over the course of two days to finish the weekend with a 4–1 season record.

On Sunday, Tufts played its third straight day of matches as they faced Wellesley and Boston College. The Jumbos defeated both teams 9–0, and every one of the 18 matches of the day lasted just three sets.

The Jumbos had a quick turn around as the team faced the Hamilton Continentals immediately preceding their match with the Mount Holyoke Lyons for its second in-conference match in two days. The Jumbos showed no signs of fatigue as they easily defeated the Continentals 9–0. All but two of Tufts’ victories came in three sets.

Tufts faced 28th-ranked Mount Holyoke and recorded a decisive 7–2 win. Yeung, again playing in the No. 1 spot for the Jumbos, won her first individual collegiate match in just three sets. Mount Holyoke defeated Tufts at only the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, as numbers four through 10 for the Jumbos were all victorious, with all but one victory coming in only three sets each.

Playing three out-of-conference matches in one weekend was important preparation for the Jumbos in their upcoming NESCAC matches, which tend to be their most competitive.

“We consider every one of our matches important matches, but obviously conference matches mean the most. Playing teams who are not in the NESCAC helps us prepare for the bigger matches because it allows us to get on court and perfect our shots,” sophomore Katie Deveaux told the Daily in an email.

The Jumbos opened their season on Nov. 17 with an away match against NESCAC powerhouse Amherst, where they recorded their only loss thus far. Against a talented Amherst team, only two Tufts players came away with individual victories as the Jumbos fell 7–2 to the Mammoths. Junior Zarena Jafry played in the third spot on the ladder for Tufts and defeated her opponent in an intense, back-and-forth five set match. Playing sixth on the ladder, senior Lauren Banner was the only other Jumbo to record an individual win. After falling 3–11 in her first set, Banner showed great resilience, fighting back hard and eventually defeating her opponent in five sets. First-year Julie Yeung played in the number one spot for the Jumbos in her first ever collegiate match. Yeung rose to the occasion of playing at the next level, playing relentlessly despite falling to her opponent in the fifth set.

“Amherst is ranked higher than us so we knew going in that we were the underdogs,” junior Sahana Karthik told the Daily in an email. “We were obviously upset by the loss but continued to have hard practices, and that definitely helped us stay positive for the next few matches.”

The Jumbos were successful in not letting the initial hard-fought loss discourage them as they headed into their remaining four matches that weekend. The Wesleyan match was Tufts’ final match of 2017, but the team will look to continue its success on a West Coast tour when competition resumes in January.