The men’s squash team hopes to improve their record to 8–0 this weekend with matches against Bates, Cornell and Northeastern at home in the Yale Round Robin at the Brady Squash Center.

The Bulldogs open against Bates College on Saturday. Bates (6–4), which is currently ranked No. 12 by the National Squash Association, fell 6–3 earlier this week to Williams, a team the Bulldogs swept 9–0 on Nov. 20.

Sunday will prove more difficult for the No. 4 Elis, who will play two matches back-to-back. In the morning, Yale will take on No. 6 Cornell, a team that has been steadily climbing the national rankings this season. The Big Red (3–2, 1–2 Ivy), however, struggled against Ivy League foes Princeton and Harvard, falling by a score of 6–3 in each match. According to captain Todd Ruth ’10, Cornell will be the Bulldog’s first true test of the season. Cornell will be the second highest-ranked team the Elis have faced so far after their 6–3 win over No. 3 Rochester on Sunday.

“Princeton, Trinity, Cornell and Rochester, are going to be the toughest matches for us,” Sharyar Aziz ’10 said earlier this season. “This season we should definitely show ourselves and teams around the league how hard we’ve worked.”

On Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs will take on Northeastern’s club team, which is currently ranked No. 24 nationally.

After the Yale Round Robin, the Elis will face perennial rival Trinity College at home on Jan. 20. Trinity men’s squash boasts the longest winning streak in intercollegiate varsity sports with 207 consecutive wins and 11 national titles.

Ruth said the Bulldogs feel more confident this year against the Bantams than they have in previous years. The Elis hope to come out on top due to their increased commitment to fitness and endurance in this year’s preseason, according to Aziz.

“Trinity is a really strong team,” Aziz said. “Every year we go in hoping to make a good run at them, but we can’t predict how things will really pan out. This will be one of our better years.”