On the heels of an undefeated weekend home stand, the women’s squash team had only two days to rest before its next task on Wednesday in the form of Mount Holyoke College. Feeling refreshed after only a couple days of rest, the Cards continued their excellent play at home, dropping Mount Holyoke 7-2. Entering the matchup, the visiting squad ranked one spot higher than the Cards in the national rankings (Holyoke is 17th, Wes 18th). After the victory, the Cardinals will surely continue to climb the rankings as they sport an 8-2 record.

The Cardinals faced a considerable challenge against a top-25 opponent, but it was clear at the day’s end that Wesleyan had the more balanced squad. Resuming their weekend 1-2 spots on the lineup card for the Cards were co-captain Grace Zimmerman ’13 and Annie Maxwell ’15. Both faced tremendous challenges with Mount Holyoke’s 1-2 combo, who overpowered the Cardinals’ top starters with a pair of 0-3 results. However, the Cardinals quickly proved that team play beats star power as the rest of the seven starters easily won it for the Cardinals.

In similar fashion to the previous weekend’s matches, five Cardinals won their matches in straight sets: Lauren Nelson ’15, Danielle Craig ’13, Kar-Anne Tan ’14, Claire Miller ’15, Liza Bayless ’16, and Rosa Hayes ’13. With a roster drawing from players both young and old, the Cardinals solidified themselves as a team loaded with depth that can sport a number of different lineups to ensure victory. Coupled with the fact that the Cardinals are still shorthanded until the second half of the season when key starters will return from abroad, Wes should expect good things come springtime.

The matchup provides a genuine momentum boost for the Cardinals, who have not beaten Mount Holyoke in 17 meetings since 2002. This momentum will surely come in handy when both the men’s and women’s teams finish up their homestay on Friday, Dec. 7 against NESCAC competitor Conn College. The faceoff against the 28th-ranked Camels will be the last matchup for the semester for Wesleyan as the Cardinals will recharge for more squash in 2013.