Bulldogs head to the top with tournament win over break

The Bulldogs were eager to maintain momentum from early December, when they defeated both the University of Pennsylvania and Franklin & Marshall by a score of 9-0. In the B flight of the Five-man tournament, the combined play of Ted Bailey, DC '03, Ashley Friedman, DC '01, Terence Li, BK '04, Brian Smith, PC '01, and Alex Tilney, JE '01, was good enough to capture the national title—something Yale has not done for 18 years.

Yale's dedication will hopefully pay off on Sat., Jan. 13, when the team travels to Williams to resume regular season play. Although Williams' top three players are considered extremely strong, as a whole the Ephs are weaker than they have been in previous years. Yale has not yet determined a lineup for the match, but team members are confident that their squad will be victorious on the road.

The team will face a bigger challenge when it meets Trinity in Hartford next Wed., Jan. 17. A perennial Goliath, Trinity boasts many national titles and an impressive roster. "We're not too optimistic about Trinity," Grote said. "We'll give it our all but we'll be lucky to get two victories versus such a powerhouse."

The Bulldogs, however, will not use the outcome of the Trinity match to gauge their ultimate success this season. As with most Yale squads, the squash team is focusing on Harvard and Prince-ton, both of whom Yale will face next month.

"We're going to be competitive," Grote said. "Our freshmen have been playing really well, and we have 14 guys who could play in the top nine." Among those expected to play in the top slots is Chris Olsen, SM '03, who has returned to Yale after taking a year off to recover from injury.

"We're really, really excited," Grote said. We're gearing up for Princeton—that's our number one goal." The Tigers had better be ready for this strong Yale team. —Alison Smith

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