Squash holds their own at the NESCAC Tournament

Author: Simon Keyes

At the NESCAC tournament hosted by Trinity College, Feb. 3-4, the Middlebury women's squash team knocked on the door of the hub of the elite college squash teams announcing that they had arrived at the upper echelon and planned to stay. Even with a lineup depleted by the absence of two graduating super seniors (co-captain Kara Zarchin and Katie Hawkins), the Panthers resiliently battled their way to a fifth place finish at the NESCAC tournament.

Senior Captain Hannah Baker said, "I was really proud of the team as a whole. We finished two spots better than last year, even while missing two key players due to Feb graduation."

The weekend results revealed nothing of the fact that the lower third of the ladder played two spots higher than they were accustomed to.

For the fifth-seeded Panthers, the tournament did not start off as well as they may have hoped. In their first match against the fourth-seeded Bowdoin Polar Bears, the Panthers fell in a heart-breaking 5-4 loss. While the defeat was disappointing, there was still room for enthusiasm.

Earlier in the year, the Panthers were mauled by the Polar Bears to the tune of 7-2. This time, however, even with a short-stacked line-up, the Panthers nearly edged Bowdoin. The loss could not veil the fact that the women were playing to form over the weekend.

Later on Saturday, in the consolation bracket, the women prepared to take on the 8th seeded Amherst Lord Jeffs. The Panthers beat the Lord Jeffs 6-3 earlier in the year in a match that was far closer than the score would suggest. Middlebury knew that they had to keep playing at a high level if they wanted to repeat their success against Amherst.

The match was tight entering the final two matches with Middlebury clinging to a 4-3 advantage. At 4-3, Middlebury needed a win from either first year Brooke Beatt at the seven spot, or from Elisabeth McMorris '9.5 at the five spot. The spotlight seemed to be inching towards Beatt's court because, as Beatt and her opponent, Melissa Moulton, were warming up, McMorris found herself in a 0-2 hole.

McMorris, however, would not be foiled, and she summoned up some magic once again. Having beaten her Bowdoin opponent in dramatic fashion earlier that morning, she pulled off another impressive 3-2 victory.

The McMorris win dissolved the pressure off of Beatt's racket, and she coasted easily, 3-0. The Panthers once again proved their superiority over the Lord Jeffs, leaving Trinity that night with a 6-3 win.

The Amherst victory, dramatic in its own right, set up even more suspense as Middlebury set to square off against the Colby Mules, a team the Panthers had not beaten since the '02-'03 season. Earlier in the year at the Wesleyan Invitational, Colby squeaked out a win against Middlebury, 5-4.

This time, however, the Panthers got the last bite. Led by Baker and McMorris, both of whom were undefeated over the weekend, Middlebury reversed its score from earlier in the year and secured a fifth place finish with a thrilling 5-4 victory.

The weekend at Trinity was filled with promise, but all the more exciting for the team is next weekend's Howe Cup, the national squash tournament, in which the Panthers will be meeting all-too-familiar foe Bowdoin in the first round.

The Panthers are licking their chops at the chance to take on the Polar Bears yet again, and this time with a full lineup.

"We will be a huge threat when we get Kara and Hawkins back and everyone moves back to their original positions," said Baker.

Junior Ellie Buechner knows what her team is capable of, especially after its showing in Hartford. "I think our performance in NESCACs has also set the tone for our upcoming final tournament at Howe Cup this weekend," said Buechner. "We proved to ourselves and the other teams that we are ready to compete."