Women's Squash Team Regains Form, Overcomes Fired-Up Yale Squad, 6-1

They say that when you're on top, they're all out to get you.

The Harvard's wome's squash team learned that lesson the harvard say a week ago when a weaker but hungrier team from Princeton bested the newly crowned national champs in their home court at Hemenway, 4-3. Not about to be taken by surprise again, the racquetwomen showed why they belong on top by whipping a Yale squad gunning for an upset at Payee Whitney Gym in New Haven Saturday, 6-1.

"Yale was really up for us, "Harvard assistant coach Pris Proof said yesterday, and a look at the first four matches confirms that view.

Paired against Yale's Zerline Goodman, a player who she had easily defeated earlier in the season, Harvard ace Mary Hulbert neededfive games Saturday to emerage with a stunning, come-from-behind victory.

After dropping the opening two games. Hulbert fought back to take the next three in chiff-hanging tiebreakers, 18-17, 18-17, and 18-17.

To compound the pressure the final--and deciding--point of the match needed to be replayed three times due to repeated let calls.

Harvard's Diana Staley had an easier time of it in the second slot, taking her opponent in three quick games. But a nagging cold and the inspired play of Yale captain Amy Levin was enough to overcome Jackie Corrigan at number three.

Showing a rare lack of timing, the Harvard junior carried the first and fourth games but succumbed to Levin in the fifth, 15-8.

Laura Kaye also had to go the distance before disposing of Yale's Amy Cunningham at number four. Kaye, who had not been extended beyond three games by any opponent in recent memory, was down 2-1 in games before she regained her usual competitive edge to win the last two frames, 15-11 and 15-10.

A tribute to the racquetwomen's depth. Lisa Harrison, Lili Pew and Josie Iselin had little trouble in sweeping the bottom of Yale's line-up to guarantee a lopsided 6-1 victory margin.

Pew, having moved up a match from her usual number seven because of team captain Courtney Stimpson's injured shoulder, was the only one of the three to surrender a game to the Elis.

Impregnable

The sophomore faltered briefly against Yale's Karen Downey in dropping the first game 15-11 but was impregnable the rest of the way, accumulating scores of 15-6, 15-11 and 15-4 in the next three games.

The racquetwomen, now holding a 12-1 mark for the 1981-82 campaign, close out their season in search of their 13th win at UPenn on Friday. Harvard's number-six, senior Stimpson, has been unable to practice for a week and may still be sidelined by tendonitis in her shoulder for the match.

THE NOTEBOOK: Yale's Payne Whitney Gym has been kind to the Crimson this season. The site of the Howe Cup championships two weeks ago, the New Haven facility has now seen Harvard knock off the numbers two, three and four teams in the country a total of four times all by scores of 6-1 or 7-0.