W. squash hopes to add Brown, F&M to victim list

The women's squash team came out better than anticipated at the Ivy League scrimmage and won its first two games of the season against Cornell and University of Toronto, 8-1 and 9-0 respectively. This Saturday marks the debut of Princeton's first home matches. The Tigers (2-0) will face Brown (1-0) at 2 p.m. and Franklin & Marshall (1-2) at 4 p.m. in the squash courts located in Jadwin Gymnasium.

Last year, the Tigers started out their season with back-to-back 9-0 wins over Cornell and Brown. Princeton has already defeated the former team. Whether it follows it up with a win over Brown will be determined this Saturday.

The Tigers should expect little trouble. The Bears finished eighth at last year's national championships and have added little to its roster to pose a threat to Princeton. Against Franklin & Marshall, Princeton will be playing up to give its top three or four positions a chance to rest and give the Diplomats a more sporting chance.

Brown's No. 1 Lilian Rosenthal might have provided a threat to the Tigers. Rosenthal was No. 9 in the country as a freshman last year and will be expected to lead the Bears this year. The Tigers however will place their No. 1 sophomore Ruchika Kumar opposite Rosenthal.

Kumar is ranked No. 5 in the nation. She has gained valuable experience in the past several years, winning the 2002 Canadian Junior National Championship, the 2001 US Junior Open Championship and the 2000 Canadian Junior Open National Championship.

The Tigers are still soaring on cloud nine after their performance in the Ivy League scrimmages in early November. There, Princeton upset Harvard, 5-4, a team that was ranked three spots higher in the polls at the time. The Tigers ended up coming in second after a 5-4 loss at the hands of No. 2 Yale. The Ivy League scrimmages do not count in the rankings, and are more of a chance for the coaches and players to get a glimpse at the competition.

Two-time national champion Trinity is No. 1 in the polls, but Yale is expected to give Trinity a run for its money this year and follow closely at No. 2. Recently, the Crimson overtook the Elis in the polls, but the position is tenuous. Two of Yale's top nine did not participate in the Ivy League scrimmages, and the Elis still managed to come out on top.

For Princeton, beating Harvard and coming close to beating Yale did much for its morale.

"We did really well," freshman Marilla Hiltz said. "It was a big confidence booster. We beat Harvard, and we almost beat Yale. It was a good way to get into the season."

The Tigers have a younger look to their squad this year. Hiltz, along with fellow freshmen No. 3 Genevieve Lessard and No. 6 Anina Nolan, started their Princeton career out right with 3-0 wins against their respective Cornell and Toronto opponents. This weekend, they will be joined by freshman Claire Rein-Weston, who missed out on last weekend's matches because of illness. Rein-Weston took part in the Ivy League scrimmages and should take her place in the top five.

Freshman Ali Pearson also took part in the Ivy League scrimmages and performed admirably but missed out on the matches against Cornell and Toronto as well due to injury. She will not play in this weekend's matches but is expected to return soon.

Five freshmen in the top nine are not the only things different about the Tigers this year. Senior Annie Rein-Weston returns to lead the Tigers as captain after going abroad during the spring of last year. She started at No. 3 her sophomore year with a 15-5 record and started at No. 1 last year before she left. She is now playing at No. 2 and brings experience and leadership to the team.

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Filling out the team are four juniors — No. 4 Tricia Gadsden, No. 7 Francie Comey, No. 8 Franny McKay and No. 9 Annie Warner. All beat their opponents in both matches, 3-0, last weekend.

"Our team is really strong," Lessard said. "We have worked a lot on fitness and have focused on our attacking shots. [Last weekend's wins] were a good start. We have really good team spirit."

With two matches under their belts already and the added confidence gained from their No. 2 finish at the Ivy League scrimmage, the Tigers are in the perfect shape to make their next two matches wins.

"The team has really come together," Hiltz said. "We have a good idea where we stand. We're excited. Come watch and cheer us on."