With three more matches left before Ivy Championships, women’s squash is on a roll. At 11-0, the team is currently undefeated. What makes it even better: they’ve bageled all but three teams.
This is a monumental season for the team, after it has made huge strides in the past couple of years. Going from 8-8 three seasons ago to 15-4 last season was impressive in and of itself, and now they’ve pushed themselves even further.
“First, our seniors this year … their steadiness and their ambitions to continue to try to crack the upper echelons of college squash have been really amazing,” coach Jack Wyant said about the team’s success. “And then they've been lucky to have the classes behind them that have all contributed a lot. And now I think you're kind of seeing … how everything's come together.”
Wyant also noted how the men’s success has inspired the team, since the entire squash program is quite close-knit. The players’ tight bond is easy to see, according to Wyant, especially on drives home from matches which are filled with loud music and even louder singing.
After sweeping Haverford, Franklin and Marshall, Chatham, and Drexel, the team faced No. 3 Stanford, where they won 8-1. The following day, they beat No. 6 Virginia 7-2. Their dominance continued with a 9-0 win against No. 15 Georgetown.
Their next matchup was No. 5 Trinity, a school that has historically been hard for Penn to beat. Before this season, Trinity had won the last nine matchups. That didn’t stop the Quakers though, as they won 7-2. Impressive performances from all players drove the team to the win, making them the first team in the country to reach eight wins this season.
“You have to have the talent, so that’s first and foremost. But then beyond that, they have worked really hard and they’re very focused on achieving their goals and getting the most out of everyday practice and playing their best in matches … the chemistry is pretty damn good,” Wyant said.
Following their strong start, the Red and Blue entered their Ivy season with an unscratched 8-0 record. They swept Yale in the first conference matchup before doing the same to Columbia and Cornell two weeks later, pushing their season’s win total to 11. Between these matches, the team also competed in the CSA Individual Championships, where junior Franka Vidovic lost to the top seed in the quarterfinals.
That brings us to today. There are three more Ivy matches: Princeton, Harvard, and Dartmouth. Both Princeton and Harvard are undefeated in conference play, undoubtedly making them tough opponents. After that comes the Ivy Championships, where the Quakers are definitely the ones to watch to bring it all home.
But for now, keep an eye on women’s squash this weekend when they travel to Princeton for what could be their 12th win of the season.
