The first-year players proved to be an asset in the match, contributing three of the eight wins. Not only did Tara Keney '04, Emily Stark '04 and Somi Kim '04 win; they won all three games in their match to shut out their Camel opponents.
"We played really well as a team and the freshmen are helping to make the bottom half of the ladder a little stronger," said Stark.
Co-captain Vanessa Champion '01 echoed Stark's sentiment, also expressing satisfaction at the first-years' performances. But she added that other first-time players were also playing well. "[The first-years] all performed really well. Some of the newer players were also strong," she said.
Katie Alberger '03 pulled out a key victory against Conn star Lindsey Burke, winning 3 of their 5 games. The match, however, was extremely competitive with the lead changing hands seven times.
Although Conn was considered a fairly easy opponent, the win will still prove important, both as a NESCAC win and as a way to gear up for more challenging matches later in the Jeffs' schedule.
"It was a good win for us, but they really weren't a tough team. We need to win some of our easier matches like this going into tougher competition," said Champion.
This Thursday, the victorious Amherst women's squash team will meet Tufts University at 7 p.m. on the Davenport squash courts in the athletic complex.
Tufts has been playing for three weeks now and has compiled a formidable 5-0 record, with convincing victories over Vassar (9-0), Wellesley (8-1), and Wesleyan (8-1) and two victories over Hamilton (7-2 and 6-3).
Last year the Jumbos compiled a 6-15 record and were ranked 21st in the nation. Though the Jumbos lost several strong players to graduation, they expect impressive performances from first-year recruits Kate Elder and Winnie So.
This will be the last match for the squash team before they head into the long winter break, so they hope to perform well. "I think we'll do really well if we play like we did against Connecticut College. We were able to focus on what we needed to win," Stark said.
In addition to their strong playing skills, the Jeffs also expect to be aided by the design of their home court.
"I think we'll win [against Tufts]," said Champion. "[Tufts is] comparable to Connecticut College, but maybe a little stronger. It's a big advantage to play on our home court because they're used to a lot narrower courts. I think we're confident going into this match," Champion said.