Women's squash goes 2–1 against NESCAC opponents in final weekend

Over the weekend, the Tufts women’s squash team visited conference rivals Bates, Bowdoin and Colby for its final three matches of the regular season. After falling to the Bobcats on Friday, the No. 17 Jumbos (11–4) wrapped up the swing through Maine with two consecutive victories to provide some critical momentum for next weekend's NESCAC Championship.

On Sunday, the Jumbos defeated the No. 24 Colby Mules (7–9) in a 5–4 match that went down to the wire. With the score tied at 4–4, Tufts junior Sahana Karthik came back from a two-set deficit to beat Colby first-year Madeline Latimore in the decisive matchup.

"It was so intense," junior captain Chista Irani said. "The entire [Tufts] men’s and women’s teams were there. It was a big match to watch."

Irani believes that the support of her teammates ultimately propelled Karthik past Latimore in securing the win for Tufts.

"I think what pushed [Karthik] the most was the team energy around her," Irani said. "It was a lot of pressure, but she stepped up to it. I think that everyone cheering really pushed her."

For Karthik, a native of Singapore, the victory over Latimore was her third win in as many days, as she won her matches against both Bowdoin and Bates earlier in the weekend.

The Jumbos' thrilling victory on Sunday came just a day after they defeated the No. 26 Bowdoin Polar Bears (5–9) by a score of 6–3.As has been the case throughout the season, the depth of the Jumbos' roster was crucial to their success, as their six wins came from the fourth through ninth spots on the ladder.

Irani discussed how essential Tufts' depth has been, not only in taking the pressure off of the team’s top players, but also in making for competitive practices in which they push one another in challenge matches.

"It is a good thing in matches because we don’t have to rely on the top half of the ladder," Irani said. "The entire ladder can pull weight and get the wins. It is also very useful for practice. Anyone on the ladder can play anyone, and it will be very productive."

The team began the weekend in Lewiston, Maine with a match against then-No. 24 Bates on Friday, as the hosts defeated Tufts 7–2. Tufts knew going in that like all NESCAC matches, it would be a difficult task. While the Jumbos fought hard for every point, the Bobcats ultimately came out on top to improve their record to 5–5 (they are now 7–6). Karthik and senior Lauren Banner earned the visiting side's two victories in the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

Despite the 7–2 scoreline, Irani is confident that Tufts will be competitive against Bates should the teams face each other in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament.

"We do have a very good shot against Bates and are probably going to see them [at] NESCACs this weekend," she said.

Irani's optimism reflects the positive energy that characterized the Jumbos' weekend. The team has played 10 consecutive away matches, dating back to early December, which has allowed the players to become incredibly close with one another. Such camaraderie was evident in the attitude that the Jumbos brought to this weekend’s matches.

"The team's energy this weekend was unbelievable," Irani said. "It was the best we have had this season. Now is the most important part of our season because we have NESCACs and nationals [coming up]. Everyone was very fired up."

The Jumbos' recent stretch of three consecutive conference matches was a good way for them to prepare for the upcoming tournaments. Matchups against fellow NESCAC teams tend to be some of the most competitive, since most teams in the conference are of a similar caliber to one another. While all matches are important, as they count toward the team’s overall record and national ranking, there is certainly an added importance and intensified desire to win when it comes to those against NESCAC opponents.

"We want to win every match, but all the NESCAC schools are very competitive with each other," Irani said. "It is our league, and the matches are very close. We know we can beat Bates, we know we can beat Colby [and] we know we can beat Bowdoin — we are right there."

First-year Julie Yeung echoed Irani's sentiment about the added importance in conference matches.

"I think it's safe to assume that we would like to be the best we could possibly be," Yeung told the Daily in an email. "The teams that we played this weekend were all ranked lower than us, so it was quite crucial to get the wins, as this weekend was our team's final battle to prove that we deserve to stay where we are before NESCAC [Championships]."

As the No. 5 seed, the Jumbos have their highest ranking in the conference tournament since 2007. They open play on Feb. 3 against the fourth-seeded Amherst Mammoths (9–4), to whom they lost 7–2 in the season opener.