Squash teams to take success on the road

By Alert Chen

FABIAN E. ROSADO/YH

After dedicating the new state of the art squash courts last Sat., Jan. 18, at Payne Whitney Gymnasium, the men's and women's squash teams each came through with victories, and now head into a critical stretch in their tough conference schedule.

"We did what we had to do," men's captain Marc Baker, BK '97, said of the team's 6-3 victory over Brown. Coming off of back-to-back losses at Dartmouth and against an undefeated Trinity team, the men's squad looked to get back on track against its Ivy League nemesis, the Bears. With the victory, the team improved its overall record to 3-2.

"The loss to Dartmouth was disappointing," Nikhil Bhandare, TD '99, said. "I felt that we were perhaps slightly overconfident, and with the loss, we looked at the Brown match as critical."

"We played well, but we have to step it up this weekend," Baker added. The Bulldogs head to Cornell this weekend where they will meet the Big Red and Western Ontario. "They are two solid teams," Baker said. "We have to keep our intensity and not let up."

The Blue will look to tally some wins before two huge match-ups against powerhouses Princeton and Amherst. Baker feels that mental toughness and strong desire will fuel the squad. "We feel we can do some damage," Baker said. "We can play at anyone's level and surprise some people. We've played hard all year. Our team is based more on hard work than on natural talent. We've gone through the season with a great work ethic and a high level of intensity. If we continue that, we'll be successful."

The women won their fourth consecutive match with an impressive 8-1 thumping of the Bears. Their lone loss came at the season opener againstUPenn. Losing the home opener provided the Elis with some motivation to feed on for the remainder of the year.

"It was disappointing to lose to Penn,"Loren Smith, SY '00 said. "But slowly, with the wins, we've been gaining momentum."

The women will be joining the men in Ithaca this weekend to match up against Cornell. Their win last Saturday improved their Ivy record to 2-1. With a victory this weekend, the Lady Bulldogs will look forward to a showdown with Princeton in two weeks. The game could have league championship implications, and such prospects will provide incentive for strong performance until then.

"There's no question that the players are starting to get into a groove," Priscilla Marshall, DC '98 said. "Hopefully, we'll peak when we play Princeton. They've got a tremendous team. They've got a great shot at the national title."

When they finish their road trip, the Elis will return home to brand-new facilities. The Brown match saw a large crowd present for the dedication ceremony of the new courts just prior to game time. The festivities marked the completion of the first of a two-part initiative. Six courts, including a state of the art, three glass-walled exhibition court, were completed this fall. Ten more courts, along with a North American Doubles court,will be added later this year. When finished, the facility will be one of the premier squash centers in the country.

"The new courts are spectacular," Baker said. "They are the Mercedes of squash courts. We're well on our way to having the best facility in the nation."

Speakers at the dedication included Athletic Director Tom Beckett and President Richard Levin, GRD '74. Also in attendance were former players, alumni, and several parents. While players admitted that there was additional pressure placed on their performance, they didn't disappoint.

"With a lot of alumni and President Levin and Dean Brodhead there, there was some added pressure," first seed Smith, commented. "But we played very well."

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