–by Jake Indursky//Contributing Writer
The women’s squash team went 1-3 at the Maine Round Robin this past weekend, suffering losses to strong Bates, George Washington and Bowdoin teams, and beating up on a weaker Drexel team.
Friday was a tough day for the Jumbos, as they played two top-15 squads in Bates and George Washington. Both opponents handed the Tufts’ team 9-0 losses. However, the Jumbos played tough in both losses, with freshman Charlotte Griffiths racking up 19 points in her loss to Bates, and freshman Paige Dahlman taking her match against George Washington opponent Elizabeth Tapley to 5 sets.
“We want to do well, move up in the ranking and keep a positive attitude, no matter how hard the teams are that we’re playing,” Griffiths said.
Saturday proved to be better for the Jumbos, when they went up against No. 19 Bowdoin and No. 35 Drexel. The team split those two games, losing 9-0 to Bowdoin, and winning 8-1 against Drexel.
Dahlman again lead the charge, going four sets (12-10. 9-11, 12-10, 13-11) against a tough Bowdoin opponent, and then cruising to an easy victory against Drexel’s Nur Atiqah Shahrin (11-2, 11-1, 11-2).
Senior Mercedes Barba played well in both her matches as well, scoring 20 points in her loss to Bowdoin’s Rachel Barnes, and then letting up only seven points in her victory against Drexel.
The rest of the Jumbos had good days against Drexel, with juniors Caitlin Doherty, Ushashi Basu and Hafsa Chaudhry all letting up fewer than 10 points in each of their matches.
“With these top teams, it is crucial that we go into each match with the intent of winning as many points as possible,” Dahlman said. “With that strategy, the match score will take care of itself.”
The 23rd-ranked Jumbos, who are now standing at 7-9, on the season, have the NESCAC championships to look forward to this upcoming weekend. After getting bounced in the first round last year, Tufts hopes to fair better this year.