No. 3 women's squash prepares to face St. Lawrence, looks to stay undefeated

The Princeton women’s squash team will face St. Lawrence at home this weekend in their last match before the new year. The Tigers are currently undefeated with a record of 4–0. According to the College Squash Association’s College Squash Rankings, Princeton women’s squash is presently ranked third in the country behind No. 2 Trinity College and No. 1 Harvard University.

The Tigers opened their season against George Washington on Nov. 17. The women decisively won the match 8–1. Five days later, the they competed against three different schools across three consecutive days: the University of Virginia, Stanford, and Drexel. The Tigers continued to dominate the courts, defeating Virginia 9–0, Stanford 6–3, and Drexel 7–2. These three schools are all top teams in the nation, which makes Princeton’s winning streak all the more impressive.

“The team had a tough weekend playing three of the top ten ranked teams in the country before Thanksgiving,” said head coach Gail Ramsay. “Our win over Stanford was a good result, since we lost a 4–5 match to them at the end of last season”.

The team also has substantial momentum in practice, as well.

“The training has been excellent,” said Ramsay. “The women have been working very hard and developing parts of their games that need some work. I think a few put in some good summer training too, which helps tremendously.”

This weekend, the Tigers will once again have the opportunity to show their hard work in training against the No. 27 St. Lawrence women’s squash squad. The last time the Tigers faced St. Lawrence was in 2015, in which each Princeton woman defeated her opponent, allowing them to win the match 9–0.

When asked about the specific goal for this weekend, Ramsay said, “This season we are focused on ‘the Process,’ which is executing our game plans and playing our best squash every time we are on the court — not only during match play, but in practice and challenge matches as well. It is about having confidence in what you do every day at practice, which will allow them to relax and play their best squash.”

After facing St. Lawrence this weekend, Princeton will have a competitive season ahead. On Jan. 11, the Tigers will play their first match of 2020 in New Hampshire against Dartmouth. They will compete against each Ivy League school, including No. 1 Harvard, throughout January and early February before playing No.2 Trinity on Feb. 15. Championship season begins on Feb. 21 at the start of the CSA Team Championships.

“We are building our confidence level nicely, and the plan is to keep it going in that direction,” said Ramsay. “We will continue to work hard and improve, and I am confident the team will return from winter break ready to play.”