The men's and women's squash teams endured a tough couple of days last weekend as they faced two of the top-ranked teams in the nation. On Saturday, both teams made the drive down to Williamstown, Mass., to take on Williams and Princeton.
The men and women both entered the weekend with a 1-1 record, with both teams defeating Connecticut College but falling to Dartmouth in matches before Thanksgiving.
The first match for both teams came against Williams, which boasts a men's team ranked No. 7 in the nation and a women's side ranked No. 9.
Both teams turned in a good effort, but the strong Williams program proved too much for the Polar Bears as both teams fell 9-0 to the Ephs.
The women's No. 1 player Elena Laird '11 put forth a particularly strong effort against Williams, battling but eventually falling in the fifth game to Williams' No. 1 Jennifer Coxe.
The teams spent the night in Williamstown in preparation for a Sunday match-up against squash powerhouse Princeton. The No. 2 nationally ranked Tiger men downed the Bowdoin men, 9-0. The women defending national champions also took care of business against the Polar Bears with a 9-0 victory.
Despite the tough losses, both the men and the women looked at the weekend as an enlightening experience, since playing against national champion-caliber teams provided a reality check and a reminder of the type of talent the Bears might encounter over the course of the season.
"I think we showed perseverance in the face of tough competitors," women's co-captain Biz Gillespie '09 said. "The positive mindset and enthusiasm we showed this weekend will help us in close matches against teams such as Bates and Colby later this season."
"Going up against two very talented teams, Williams and Princeton, lets us know that we can play with some of the best and to never be nervous," added men's co-captain David Funk '10.
Both teams will train in Mexico and at Bowdoin over Winter Break before competing at Yale in a round robin tournament that includes the Yale, Wesleyan, Rochester and Cornell teams on January 10.