It was an up-and-down weekend for the Big Green squash program. While the Dartmouth men were unable to overcome their Cornell and University of Western Ontario opponents, dropping 7-2 matches to each, the women's squash team easily handled Cornell in another dominating 9-0 victory.
However, the men, not to be outdone by their female counterparts, quickly rebounded with a convincing 9-0 thrashing of Hobart.
In each of the Big Green men's two losses, Tim Vipond '05 and co-captain and individually nationally ranked no. 8 Ryan Donegan '05 as Dartmouth's lone victors.
Hank Alexander '06 and Adam King '08 played extremely well, drawing their matches out to five games against Cornell.
After dropping the first two games to Big Red captain Mike Delany, Alexander battled back to even the score but would ultimately fall to the senior (9-3, 9-2, 3-9, 2-9, 9-2).
Todd Wood '07 and Adam Slutsky '06 also raised the level of their respective games, pushing both the Big Red and UWO to the edge of defeat.
The men fell to 6-5 after their two losses, but the win over Hobart improved their record to 7-5.
"We beat both these teams in very tight battles last year, so it was somewhat disappointing [to lose]," coach John Power said.
"But when you lose three starters at positions four, five and nine and replace them with only one recruit [King], you become a slightly weaker team."
The women, who improved to 6-3, saw little competition from their Big Red opponents, posting their second 9-0 victory in as many competitions.
Again the women displayed their superior skills and conditioning as they won each match by a score of three games to none.
Buffalo, N.Y., native and 21st ranked Julia Drury '06 led the women's team at the first position, defeating Mairin Barnes by scores of 9-7, 9-6 and 9-1, while co-captains Kelly Sennatt '05 and Martha Ucko '05 easily overpowered their opponents, not allowing them a single point in their victories.
The Big Green squash team will continue its road trip next weekend with visits to Ivy opponents Princeton and Penn.
The women are looking to beat Penn, better their current no. 6 ranking and win three in a row, something Power believes is within the reach of this year's squad.
The men are similarly looking to get the better of Princeton, which is ranked at no. 7, just above the eighth-ranked Big Green. The Tigers are coming off back-to-back wins against Williams and Amherst.
The squash team will return home to face the Brown Bears on Feb. 13 at 2:00 p.m. on the upper level of the John W. Berry Sports Center.
