The men’s and women’s squash teams were both in action this past weekend as they traveled to Yale to face off against Drexel, Stanford, Yale and Columbia.
On January 19 both squads kicked off against Drexel and Stanford. The men won 5-4 and 9-0, while the women won 6-3 and lost 8-1, respectively. The first day of matches saw promising play from both teams.
Both squads ran into stout competition against Ivy League opponents later in the weekend. Yale and Columbia defeated the men 8-1 and 8-1 and the women 9-0 and 9-0 respectively.
Captain Andrew Hilboldt ’13 believes the team is building confidence before an upcoming set of difficult matches.
“We had a very tough stretch this last week,” said Hilboldt. “Recently we have beat Amherst, Wesleyan and Drexel, which were big morale boosters for us. Our goal is to make the B division and teams like Brown stand in our way.”
Hilboldt has beaten the Middlebury and Williams No. 1s this year and hopes to continue his fine form in future matchups.
“I have been enjoying the best squash of my life and am trying to keep riding the wave,” Hilboldt added. “Having beat players I lost to last year is a testament to the commitment the program has on improving.”
The Bowdoin men also played this Wednesday when they traveled to Bates. The Polar Bears lost 8-1 against a formidable Bobcat lineup.
Senior William Fantini has also performed very well this season at the No. 3 position and believes good things lie ahead.
“The team has improved significantly since the beginning of the season,” he said. “Everyone is physically much fitter, and playing at a much higher level.”
Fantini anticipates that the upcoming match against Brown will be a very telling test for the squad.
“Brown has been a very big rival of ours since my freshman year,” he said. “We anticipate a close match. We know we will get nine strong efforts from each individual on the team, and hopefully at the end of the day we will end up on top.”
The Bowdoin women hosted Colby last night, winning 7-2 against the Mules, who entered the match with a 4-6 record.
Standout Rachel Barnes ’15 said she is excited about the upcoming matches. The Polar Bears will face Tufts today, and then Boston College, Boston University and Wellesley tomorrow.
“The college squash world is rather small and we play a wide array of talent every week,” she said. “We have a lot of tough matches coming up, which could be a good opportunity to get back into the mix for a bid in the B division of the national championships.”