No. 1 Women's Squash Rolls Over Tufts

Getting back into action after a weeklong break, the women’s squash hosted undefeated Tufts Friday night in a Beantown bout. This rescheduled matchup—originally planned for Jan. 19—saw No. 1 Harvard (6-0, 3-0 Ivy) cruise easily to victory, 9-0, against a rising Division III opponent who, ultimately, proved to be no competition for the Crimson dynasty.

Previously undefeated No. 18 Tufts (12-1) was outmatched by the reigning national champions, ending the Jumbo’s best opening run in past 15 years.

Looking at the game on paper, the meeting between ranked opponents looked to shape up as a close competition between two streaky teams with perfect records. The sheer disparity in skill, however, was apparent between the two teams, as the Crimson swept the field without letting up a game. The team improved its match record to an incredible 56-3.

Harvard took the match against a hot and unfamiliar opponent in stride. No. 1 Alyssa Mehta was given perhaps one of the toughest challenges against freshman Claire Davidson, a strong recruit playing in her first collegiate game. No. 7 Caroline Monrad was the recipient of the only other serious bid by the Jumbos to capture a game, but salvaged her third game, 12-10, against freshman Sahar Tirmizi.

It’s no coincidence that the challenges came from first-year players, as the young Tufts team does not have any seniors on its squad.

“It was a good match,” co-captain Caroline Monrad said. “It was the first time that we got to play their team, so we were pretty excited about it.”

Playing against weaker opponents gave the whole team opportunity to develop. With a 13-woman team, the lower ranked players are often asked to alternate games constrained to a lineup with only nine slots.

“We dropped our top four so that everybody could play could play in the top nine,” Monrad said. “Then we had some of our bottom four play double matches.”

These games against lower ranked teams give more flexibility to the coaches as they set up for the rest of the season. The greater volume of game action for the Crimson’s lesser-ranked players prepares them for tougher opponents by ensuring regular playing time, while pushing their potential as they face higher ranked opponents in low stake matches.

As perennial competitors, the team focuses on a steady progression throughout the season to set them up for success at season’s end. This includes taking advantage of the week off created by the game’s rescheduling.

“This was a pretty light week so the girls actually did some extra cardio and some extra squash to get back in shape because they had a couple days off after that heavy weekend,” said strength and conditioning coach Beth Zeitlin. “So this was good for them to get back on court. It builds confidence when you play well…and we’ve got some big matches coming up ahead of us.”

Head coach Mike Way and the other assistant coaches traveled with the men’s team to Rochester, leaving coach Zeitlin to manage the women’s lower profile game. This turned the night’s focus to sustain the team’s continued dominance.

“When it comes to their on-court stuff I’m really not looking for anything specific,” Zeitlan said. “You know, because I work with them in the gym environment it’s all about injury prevention. I know each athlete so I know who has a back issue, who has a knee issue. So I’m just watching to make sure that they are protecting those issues and that they are staying strong. You know, we’re a first place team so it’s really important that they don’t get injured.”

Harvard’s ability to maintain focus and form throughout, especially without technical guidance from coaches, is telling about how the players have internalized success.

“They had to get a job done today within the civility of the sport without just playing fast,” Zeitlan said. “So they were creating rallies, but they also had to get the job done and win the match.”

—Staff writer William Quan can be reached at william_quan@college.harvard.edu.