Coming off a victorious regular season opener against Williams on Nov. 20, the Yale women’s squash team (1–0) hopes to capture a road win against the Penn Quakers (2–0, 1–0 Ivy) this Saturday in Philadelphia.
The Quakers, who have managed to defeat Yale each of the past three seasons, finished last year ranked fourth in the country, one spot ahead of the Elis. Penn’s No. 1 player, Kristen Lange, who was the 2009 Ivy League Player of the year, led the Quakers to a 10–4 record in the 2008-’09 season, including a win over Yale. Lange, who is now a senior, also earned first-team All-American and ended the season ranked No. 2 in the nation after losing in the finals of the CSA Individual Championships. On Saturday, she will face fellow All-American Logan Greer ’11.
Head coach David Talbott said Greer’s match against Lange will be a good opportunity for her to bounce back from the loss she suffered to another of the nation’s top players, Toby Eyre of Williams.
Talbott believes that the Penn match will certainly be a good indicator of where the Elis currently stand.
“We have to win some in the top five spots,” Talbott said. “If we can win two of the top five, we will be in the match. There is more opportunity for wins as you move down [positions six through nine].”
Depth will prove to be important for Yale, as the Quakers defeated Cornell by a score of 7–2 earlier this season, sweeping the Big Red in spots four through nine.
Team captain Alia Aziz ’10 said the Elis can beat Penn with focus and preparation both on and off the court.
“We have to make sure we are eating right and sleeping right, especially with exams coming up,” Aziz said. “Being prepared to run every ball down is important. One of our strengths is our fitness, and if we have the mentality that we can get to every ball, we will give ourselves the chance to win.”
Yale will also be facing Franklin & Marshall (0–2) on Saturday in Lancaster, Penn.
The Quakers defeated F&M 9–0 in their previous match, outscoring the Diplomats 297-52 in total points. The match against Penn will be played at 11 a.m., and the F&M match at begins 5 p.m.