Women salvage weekend for squash teams

Author: Kevin Carpenter

The men's and women's squash teams finished a tumultuous weekend against a set of seasoned opponents. Both squads took loses to Williams and Dartmouth on Saturday with the men going down 9-0 and 9-0, and the women falling 8-1 and 8-1, respectively.

The men's team fell 9-0 to Bates in the Sunday match but the women's team managed to pull out two impressive victories against Bates and Mt. Holyoke with a pair of 5-4 wins.

Despite the loss to perennial powerhouses Dartmouth and Williams, the men put up a solid effort. Senior co-captain J.P. Sardi '09 and first-year Valentin Quan '12 took their opponents into the fourth game in the Williams match.

Micah Wood '10 and Ben Broad '09 played very close and contested matches against Dartmouth but ultimately fell as the ninth-ranked Big Green shut out the Panthers.

The men also took an unfortunate loss after a battle with Bates. Despite a 9-0 defeat, the squad put up a noteworthy stand with six of the nine Middlebury players taking their opponents to a tiebreaker or extended game.

The women fought an equally tough fight against Dartmouth and Williams that included some outstanding individual play. Senior tri-captain Caroline Woodworth '09 won her match against C. Kaemmer of Williams in four games and first-year Jamie Burchfield '12 won her match against C. Lindseth of Dartmouth in three straight games.

"Aided by the support of fans, we played a higher level of squash against Dartmouth and Williams at home on Saturday," said tri-captain Brooke Farquhar '09. "Our fans helped us put up a good fight against two tough teams."

Sunday saw a stunning turnaround for the women's squad as it inched out two victories in close matches against #11 Mt. Holyoke and #12 Bates.

"The matches we played against Bates and Mount Holyoke at Williams yesterday solidified our rumored reputation as the up-and-coming team in this season's B flight," said Farquhar.

Both matches came down to a final, climactic game to decide the victor.

Kathryn Bostiwck '12 battled back after falling behind in her #5 match to seal the 5-4 victory over Bates.

In similar fashion, Avery Tilney '09.5 sealed the Panther victory with a convincing four-game win over Mt. Holyoke's L. Lue Yen.

Farquhar noted that in her win, Tilney distinguished herself by "hitting incredible drop-volleys with such skill that will be forever remembered by the team as the 'Tilney-touch'."

The pair of Sunday wins brought the women to a 10-4 record on the season while the set of losses dropped the men to an even 5-5 record.

Despite the tough losses, the Middlebury men's and women's squash teams are quickly gaining national recognition as they battle closely with many seasoned, reputable teams.

The men currently hold the #21 spot in the country in just their second season as a varsity squad. The women are experiencing a great deal of recognition as well.

"Despite our losses to two tough teams at home on Saturday, we brought home two big 'W's last night and have fought our way up the ladder to the number eleven spot in the country," said Farquhar.

"We're excited to prove to other teams we belong there this weekend at Yale."

The men's and women's squads will travel to New Haven, Conn. for the Yale Round Robin Jan. 17 and 18.