The Bowdoin Women's Squash Team improved to a record of 7-0 this weekend in a tournament at Wellesley College. The team won all five of its matches.
On Saturday, the Polar Bears defeated Middlebury and Wesleyan, both 9-0, and beat William Smith six matches to three. Early Sunday morning they faced Stanford, emerging victorious with a score of 8-1. The team finished off the weekend with another 8-1 win against Mount Holyoke.
William Smith, currently ranked 15th for women's collegiate teams, upset 12th ranked St. Lawrence earlier this season (Bowdoin is ranked 13th). The Polar Bears' success against St. Lawrence was the most important of the weekend since it will improve their own ranking.
Several Polar Bears had exciting matches this weekend. First year Biz Gillespie pulled out a 3-2 win over her Stanford opponent, winning the first two games of the match, losing the third and fourth, but skillfully taking the fifth game 9-6.
"I was definitely feeling the heat in the Stanford match," she said. "My opponent wanted the win just as much as I did, but I managed to regain the control over the court that I had established in the first two games. It was setting the pace of our points that mattered in the end."
Fellow first year Kate Gormley also won a close match against her Middlebury opponent, recovering from a 1-2 score in the first three games by taking the last two games, 9-5 and 9-2.
The weekend's highlight was captain Niki Clement's '06 match against Guatemalan national champion Pamela Anckerman, a member of the Mount Holyoke team.
Although Anckerman won 3-1, both players demonstrated skill and poise on the court, drawing many spectators including parents, coaches, and players from many of the other teams at the tournament. Anckerman took a close first game 10-9, but Clement rallied for a 9-7 win in the second. Anckerman took the final two games 9-2 and 10-8.
"You have to remember that you are just playing 'a player' and to leave their name and history at the door," said Clement.
The long tournament, immediately before the end of the semester, posed a challenge to the team as the women tried to squeeze classwork into their free time, while remaining focused on court.
"Even though it was a long and tiring weekend, everyone played well and I think the team truly earned the wins," Maddie McQueeney '09 said.
Alex Franceschi '09 agreed, "Playing five matches within a day and a half was difficult, but it really reveals which parts of your game need improvement."
The women have this weekend off, while the men's team will be traveling to Yale for 5-Mans, an open tournament.