Despite putting up its toughest fight of the season, the Bowdoin Women's Squash Team fell a third time to Bates at the team squash nationals. The Bears took third in the B Division at last weekend's tournament.
Although the Polar Bears had hoped to eclipse Bates by the end of the season, the players enjoyed the close matches and friendly rivalry.
"It was tough losing to Bates, because they were a team for which we had really been training to beat," junior Dodie Press said. "Every year a victory over them gets a bit closer, and I think that we can definitely learn from our experiences."
Despite losing 8-1 to Bates, the women played very well and were competitive in their individual matches. Four of the eight lost matches went to four games (Bowdoin won a game in each). In addition, Susie Martin '07, playing at number four, nearly won her five-game match. Bowdoin came closer than ever to beating Bates with long rallies and close games scores. Bates won the B Division (the Kurtz Cup) the next day, soundly defeating Cornell.
Earlier in the weekend, the Bears defeated St. Lawrence 9-0, and followed the win with a 7-2 victory over Colby, marking Bowdoin's fourth win over the Mules for the season.
"[Emilie] McKenna '08 had a great match against her usual opponent, Emily Slack from Colby, and they both fought very hard until the end," Jackie Deysher '09 said of her teammate. "Despite the loss, it was fun to watch."
After challenging some teams more than three times, it is easy to lose enthusiasm, but Deysher believed that "the team competed well this weekend even though we played our fellow Maine schools again."
Captain Niki Clement '06 garnered multiple honors during the tournament. She was nominated for the Betty Ritchey Award, often described as the MVP award. In addition, she recorded her 77th victory, breaking Bowdoin's previous record of 74 wins, set by Dana Betts '01. Clement finishes her college career at 77-14.
"It was nice to end Niki's career on the Bowdoin team with a win against Colby," Martin said.
The Polar Bears' performance over the weekend earned them an 11th-place finish overall and a third-place spot in the B Division, or Kurtz Cup, marking a two-place improvement over last year's finish.
The players enjoyed the atmosphere of the tournament, which virtually every college squash team in the country attends.
"The weekend was a lot of fun for me," Press said. "It's always a treat to see some of the best collegiate squash players and watch some great squash."
Clement agreed, saying, "It is a proud time to be wearing black and white all weekend. You feel a sense of unity within your team, but also among all these players because you are all here playing the same sport with the same motivations to perform well."
She added, "Oftentimes squash can seem an obscure sport or one that not many people are familiar with, but nationals is a place where you and your sport are in the majority."
Overall, the women were happy with their performance during the tournament.
"Everyone put in a solid performance this weekend," Martin said.
This weekend, Clement and a few other Bowdoin squash players will travel to Amherst for individual nationals, where they will battle the best players in the nation.
The women look to next year with bittersweet feelings, as they lose a two-year captain in Clement and a valuable competitor in Molly Dorkey '06.
"With such a young team it's exciting to think about next year, but it's hard to say goodbye to two amazing seniors that have given so much to the team," Lydia Pillsbury '07 said.