Players compete individually at invitational

The No. 5 Penn women's squash team has been so dominant lately that any result other than a 9-0 victory is a bit surprising.

But this weekend at the Constable Invitational Tournament in Princeton, N.J., the focus shifted away from the team as a whole and onto its individual performers as ten Quakers went up against some of the top collegiate squash players in the country.

This was a notable change for the Red and Blue, who have not faced a top-seven team since early December.

After what coach Jack Wyant called "a slow start" at the beginning of the tournament, freshman Alisha Turner and junior captains Paula Pearson and Radhika Ahluwalia --- Penn's top three players -- placed sixth, seventh and 13th, respectively, in the top-tier bracket.

However, Wyant was more focused on the experience gained from the event than the individual results.

"You know you hear about match toughness -- that comes from experience," Wyant said.

"This was an opportunity to really go up against some stiff competition and see how we match up," he added.

But the Constable Invitational provided more than just in-game experience.

For the team's freshmen, the tournament was the first that combined collegiate-level squash and an emphasis on the individual.

"I think that mostly what the freshmen learned this weekend is how to look after themselves," said Ahluwalia, who finished the weekend tied for 13th.

Ahluwalia noted that the team dynamic was less evident, as each player was on a different schedule. "We tried to instruct them," she added.

It appears as if the veterans' instructions for the freshmen did not go unheeded.

Turner put forth a valiant effort before ultimately falling to internationally-ranked Ashley Clackson.

But perhaps the standout performance came from less-heralded freshman Tara Chawla.

Chawla -- who ascended to the No. 5 flight in team competition after a good performance against Bates and Bowdoin last weekend -- won the second-tier consolation bracket.

"We've all gotten more used to the atmosphere of college squash and learned to play better in the team sense," Chawla said of the team's young players. "Now we've sort of settled in."

Having found the poise they needed against players from the nation's top teams this weekend, the Quakers are ready to see them again in team competition.

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