To wrap up the season, the women’s squash team took its talents to Princeton, N.J. this past weekend to participate in the “C” Division for the hallowed Howe Cup. Scheduled to face foes they had previously battled in the early goings of the season, the Cards were well aware that this weekend was about more than just battling for trophies. Contests against squads from Bowdoin, Colby, and Mount Holyoke would be measures of how much the Birds have improved over the season.
After being ousted from championship play in the first round, the Cardinals rebounded to snatch their next two consolation matches, ending the weekend and their season of team play on a more positive note. The women’s squash team finished off the year ranked 21st nationally with an 11-12 record.
In the opening round of play, the Cardinals met up with a familiar Bowdoin side that had previously taken two contests from the Cardinals in the regular season. Although the Cards came up short, their 5-4 loss to the Polar Bears told a remarkably different story than the previous blowout losses.
Championship competition brought the fire out of several Cardinals, who reversed their previous results against Bowdoin at the NESCAC Championships. After suffering losses, Captains Mary Foster ’14 and Nell Schwed ’14, along with Miranda Linsky ’14, proved themselves as determined veterans fighting for their one last shot at glory by providing victories in this competitive match.
“We knew our first match would be a tough one, since we were playing the team ranked one spot ahead of us,” Foster wrote in an email to The Argus. “Bowdoin has always been a difficult team to face, having lost to them 8-1 and 7-2 earlier in the season. Although we ended up losing 5-4 this time around, it was a much closer match and everyone on our team fought incredibly hard.”
Foster was able to string together a pair of victories at the top spot for the Birds on her way to claiming her fourth consecutive All-NESCAC bid. As Wesleyan’s top squasher, Foster compiled an 11-10 match record against the best players opponents had to offer. Receiving accolades alongside her fellow captain, Lauren Nelson ’15 was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team for the first time in her collegiate career. From the second spot on the ladder, Nelson supplied her squad with an 11-11 individual record.
Foster, however, was quick to direct the praise toward her teammate and fellow captain, Schwed.
“I am incredibly proud of one of our senior captains Nell Schwed,” Foster wrote. “She won all three matches this weekend, including a grueling five-gamer against the Bowdoin opponent that had beaten her earlier in the season. She played with a maturity that can only be gained from experience, and she was able to end her college career in the best way possible.”
The Cardinals squared up with Colby in their Saturday matchup, and for the third time this season there was little doubt as to which was the better squad: the Cardinals racked up a shutout 9-0 victory. After beating Colby 6-3 and 7-2 previously, the Birds continued to broadcast their improvement throughout the season on the scoreboard. Seven Cardinals completely blanked their Colby counterparts, sparing only two set victories from the Mules throughout the entire ladder.
On Sunday, the Cardinals were met by another familiar foe in the form of Mount Holyoke College. With the season series tied at one victory apiece, the Cardinals took the rubber match in commanding fashion with a 6-3 final score.
Holding it down for the Cards from the bottom of the ladder, Bridget Doherty ’16 registered her third victory in as many matches over the weekend. Even more impressively, Doherty managed to last the weekend without even dropping a set. Additionally, Schwed was victorious on each day of the tournament.
With their finish at their last team tournament, the Cardinals have indicated that, even through hardship, they are a team that is constantly challenging itself to improve. Against a stacked field of competitors, the Birds even displayed tremendous improvement from Friday to Sunday, leaving their fans anxious to see how many more great strides they can make next winter.