The Panther squash teams kicked off their 2014-2015 seasons in Connecticut last weekend as both the men’s and women’s teams began play in the Rosenbaum Squash Center at the Wesleyan Invitational tournament.
The women’s team began by stomping out Smith College with nine matches to zero.
The Pioneers played without Jacqueline Zhou, a senior who plays in their top slot, because she sustained an injury while playing Head Coach Tim Bacon at practice during the week. Instead of Zhou, Smith’s Jana Chan played in the top slot for the Pioneers. Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16 had no problem with Chan, as she began her season victorious in three matches, 11-4, 11-0 and 11-3.
Charlotte Dewey ’15 defeated her Pioneer opponent at number two, as did Anne Wymard ’15 at number three and first-year Liddy Renner ’18 in the fourth slot. In the bottom half of the lineup, Katie Dewey ’15, Lily Bogle ’18, Caroline Jahrling ’18, Maddie Hoar ’17 and Audrey Ellen ’17 all won their matches for Middlebury.
In the afternoon match, the Panthers took on host school Wesleyan, posting another commanding victory in which the only slot in which Cardinals won was the top slot. The only other slots in which the Cardinals won games were the third and ninth, with the Panther player dominating her Cardinal opponent in every other position.
After dominating Connecticut College 9-0 in the morning match, the Middlebury men squared off with Wesleyan in the afternoon to rack up a win of 6-3.
In the number-one position, Andrew Jung ’16 fell to his opponent from Wesleyan in straight sets. Andrew Cadienhead ’17 took the win at number two, as did Wyatt French ’17 and Harrison Croll ’16 at three and four. Though Will Hanley ’15.5 fell at number five, William Kurth ’18, David Cromwell ’16 and Robert Galluccio ’15 won their matches to give Middlebury the team victory.
On Sunday, the Panthers headed to Trinity to take on the vaunted Bantams. Neither the men’s nor the women’s side won its match.
However, Ben Krant ’17 and Ellen both salvaged bright spots for the Panther men and women, claiming victories for the Panthers in the ninth slots. Ellen won in a clean sweep of her opponent Brice Rothenberg, 11-6 in the first game, and remained dominant with 11-1 triumphs in both the second and the third games.
Meanwhile, Krant won in four sets, and after being tied one to one going into the third, dominated with 11-2 and 11-4 victories.
The squash teams will be back in action this Sunday afternoon, Nov. 23, against Tufts in the Middlebury Squash Center.
