Squash continues to shine as season progresses

Middlebury squash has proven nothing short of dominant as both teams close out the first third of their seasons. After both squads opened with losses to NESCAC powerhouse Williams, the 18th-ranked men and 13th-ranked women have been on a tear.

During this streak of 12 straight combined victories (five by the men and seven by the women), the teams have yielded a total of seven games to their opponents. While this stretch has come against weaker opposition, it is good to see that the teams are not playing down to opponents and that they are progressing for the better competition that is ahead.

For the men, the new year has not yet begun. Inclement weather cancelled the first match of January and extended the break between matches to over a month.

“The team hasn’t had a match a while so everyone is chomping at the bit, said captain Simon Keyes ’10.

“We’re all really ready to see our hard work pay off. It is annoying how infrequently we have played.”

While this gap in competitive play can lead to relaxation, the team has kept up its competitive spirit with challenge matches amongst one another. These internal matches help battle test the players and they are equally important for coach Jon Illig to help to iron out his ladder.

This first part of the season has helped answer some of the questions about the men’s team coming into the season. For one, Jay Dolan ’13 and Spencer Hurst ’13 have already emerged as top-of-the-ladder caliber guys that create depth right now and are the future of the team. Brian Cady ’11 and William Piekos ’11 are both returning from abroad to help add to the already deep men’s team.

While other young players like Addi Disesa ’12 and Val Quan ’12 round out the top of the ladder, senior leadership cements this team together. Tri-captains Simon Keyes ’10, Eliot Jia ’10 and Micah Wood ’10 guide the talented youth and bring the experience of having played in some big matches. This group is ripe with talent and ready for their next match.

Wednesday’s match against Amherst “will be one of the biggest of the year” said Keyes. “They are 16 and we are 17. This has huge implications for team nationals and is a chance for Middlebury to ascend to the highest ranking in program history.”

The women opened 2010 with a bang. The 7-2 domination of 16th-ranked Amherst shows just how dangerous this team can be. Though the top two struggled a bit, the rest of the lineup refused to lose a single game.

Third-seeded Kathryn Bostwick ’12 turned in an especially exhilarating win, coming back from a 2-0 game deficit to win the next three games for a 3-2 match win.

This was definitely a performance to build on for the women.

While their break was not as long as the men’s, the women’s team also kept up its edge with challenge matches and competitive practices. The women added three first-years — Lindsey Becker ’13, Annie Ulrich ’13, and Molly Hubbard — who have already worked their way onto the ladder.

With only nine players competing, the team counts upon these three first-years a for critical individual matches if this team is going to succeed.

Though 2010 opened on a rough note for co-captains Avery Tilney ’10 and Virginia Shannon ’11, they are still the leaders of the team as well as a formidable one-two punch at the top of the bracket.

They both put together breakout individual performances during the 2008-2009 campaign and have really stepped up to fill the shoes of graduated number one Sally Hatfield ’09.

This weekend is a big one for the men and women, as they look to continue their torrid start with five more matches at the Yale Round Robin.