On Wednesday, the Big Green squash teams ventured to Massachusetts to play the Lord Jeffs of Amherst College. The men devoured the helpless knights, leaving the home team with its pride bruised amid a 9-0 defeat, while the Dartmouth women scored an 8-1 win.
Dartmouth's freshman phenom, Ryan Donegan, paced the team with a win at No. 1. The others followed suit, with Andrei Prokopiw '04 winning at No. 2, James Judah '02 at No. 3, Tim Vipond '05 at No. 4, Jesse Nisselson '04 at No. 5, Bill Reisner '02 at No. 6, Scott Judah '02 at No. 7, Chris O'Connell '04 at No. 8 and Brad Doline '02 at No. 9 completing the sweep.
O'Connell said after the win: "Although the match was considered an easy one, we all played seriously and brought home a 9-0 victory."
Fortunately for the Big Green, the Amherst team decided to leave its skills in the locker room, but the Big Green may not be so lucky this weekend.
The Dartmouth men will play top-ranked Trinity tomorrow. Trinity boasts one of the best teams in the country and, unlike Amherst, Trinity should come with its "A" game. If the Dartmouth team plays up to its potential, the Big Green could make it tight in a match many have Trinity favored to win. If the men come prepared to play aggressive squash, they can stay in the match this weekend for a long time.
The Dartmouth women's squash team also traveled to Amherst.
Like the men, the Big Green woman smacked Amherst up and down the court. The Dartmouth women coasted to their third straight victory with ease and finesse.
Sarah West '02, Charlotte Haldeman '03, Kelly Sennatt '05, Crosby Haynes '04, Courtney Schenk '05 and Martha Ucko '05 won the first six matches before the Big Green suffered its only loss at No. 7. After a slight bump in the road, Beth Vadasdi '04 and Emily Turner '03 sailed the rest of the way with wins at No. 8 and No. 9.
Haldeman said this about her team: "This team we have is much better than last year's. We have a tremendous amount of depth, and we're ready for a good season."
Like the men, the Big Green women are hoping to continue their winning ways as they take on the Lady Tigers of Trinity tomorrow.
