Dartmouth's women's squash team lived up to its own high expectations this weekend, taking fifth place at the Howe Cup, otherwise known as the women's national squash championships.
The weekend tournament began on Friday as the women dropped a match to host Princeton, 8-1. However, the score does not beget the closeness of the match, as four of the nine matches went to a full five games.
Julia Drury '06 began the weekend strong, playing in the second position and securing Dartmouth's lone win over the Tigers, 3-2. In addition, top position Christie Alexander '08, Avery Eyre '07 and Heather Lisle '07 took their matches the full distance.
Play continued on Saturday with a sound 9-0 thrashing of Williams. The Ephwomen drew a couple matches to five games but ultimately proved lacking as the majority of the Big Green wins were by a 3-0 margin.
Defeating Williams ensured that the women would finish fifth or sixth, rankings Dartmouth have held in the past several years.
Head Coach John Power had said early on that the women were capable of taking fifth place, and they did just that as they defeated Penn 7-2 on Sunday. Alexander led the way for the women, defeating Paula Pearson, Penn's top player, in five close games.
"I am very happy with how we finished off the year," co-captain Martha Ucko '05 said of the team's finish. "We finished at No. 5, and I started off at No. 5 my freshman year, so I am happy to be back there before I leave."
Kelly Sennatt '05, the team's other captain, added, "We're really psyched about our finish this year. We've finished fifth or sixth nationally every year that I've been here so we've come to hold ourselves to a pretty high standard.
"We had a great weekend at the Howe Cup. A lot of parents came down to support us and we had a banquet on Friday night with all the parents and players. It was a nice reminder of how important squash has been to us over the last four years.
"The juniors gave overly nice and very thoughtful speeches about Martha and I, which was very touching."
Sennatt and Ucko both finished their collegiate careers by winning their matches three games to none, and each blanked their opponents in the final two games.
"We're sad to be done with our squash careers," said Sennatt, "but I think Martha and I are both looking forward to some new-found freedom as well!"
"It's very strange to suddenly not be a full time athlete anymore," Ucko said. "I can finally do all of those things that I always said I would do if I didn't have practice."
With their departure, Senatt and Ucko leave a legacy of gritty play and exceptional talent, and their teammates know it.
"Kelly and Martha have both been incredible competitors for their four years on the squash team," Drury said. "There have been several close matches where their wins have sealed the victory for the team.
"They have not only been assets to our squash ladder, but, as captains, they have led the team and encouraged us throughout the season. It will be hard to replace them next year, and they will be sorely missed by the team."
Though no one doubts the truth behind Drury's comments, the graduating captains remain optimistic about next year's prospects.
"Our team was very strong this year, and, with three '08s in the top four, it looks like we should stay strong for the next few years," Ucko said.
"Though we did not get any recruits in early decision, a few regular decision girls should be able to maintain our strength for next year."
The team certainly has a trio of very strong '08s in Alexander, Ashley Malenchak and Rebecca Loucks, who played at the first, third and fourth positions, respectively. Their continued excellence will be essential to the team's success in the future.
The team will also be looking for leadership from rising seniors Drury, Jessica Vyrostoko and Jessica Tory.
"We're excited for the juniors taking over the team next year," said Sennatt. "They are all great athletes and have been great friends to us over the past three years."
While women's squash is done for the year, the Big Green men close their season with the men's championships this weekend at Harvard.
Dartmouth's male squashers return to action after a thrilling 5-4 home win over the Brown Bears and, as of Feb. 1, are ranked eighth in the nation.
However, if the Big Green hopes to climb the ladder any further, it will have to get past the likes of Trinity, Harvard and Yale, all of which beat Dartmouth handily during the regular season.
