Eight of nine starters return for women's squash

As the women's squash team approaches the upcoming season, the biggest challenge for the team will be injuries — both healing old ones and avoiding new ones. With the top-nine ladder composed largely of sophomores and juniors, the Tigers' depth and maturity gives them the potential for a great season — that is, as long as overuse injuries don't wreak havoc on the team's lineup.

"Our biggest challenge is getting everyone in our lineup to play at once and getting all the injuries taken care of so that we are as deep and as strong of a team as we have the potential of being," said junior Claire Rein-Weston, the No. 1 player on the squad.

After earning a 9-5 overall record and a 3-2 Ivy League record last season, Princeton finished a somewhat disappointing fourth at the Howe Cup behind Yale, Harvard and Trinity. This season, the team hopes that its newly-acquired depth will allow it to beat these top competitors. For the first time in recent years, over half of the top nine players are upperclassmen, more technically and physically mature than their younger teammates. Furthermore, the Tigers only graduated one player from last year's top nine, and two players in the top four who suffered injuries last season — junior Ali Pearson and sophomore Casey Riley — are back in action.

The team has also added to its roster three freshmen recruits this season: Joanna Scoon, Aly Brady and Maggie O'Toole. Scoon, originally from Trinidad, won a Caribbean championship, but she is currently injured. Brady is suffering from a longterm shoulder injury, so O'Toole currently has the best chance of challenging into the top nine.

The team's biggest advantage coming into this season is its high level of skill across the board.

"The thing about this squad is that we're good at all spots, but we're not particularly outstanding at any spot, so [our success] is a matter of whether we can challenge each other, work hard and make sure that we're all playing the best we can," head coach Gail Ramsay said.

Three captains will lead the team this season, senior Rebecca Shingleton and juniors Marilla Hiltz and Anina Nolan. The entire squad is counting on them to inspire the team to work hard and live up to its full potential.

"They are really great motivators, and they are doing a great job of leading the team," said sophomore Carly Grabowski, a 'Prince' staff writer.

Beyond the team captains, the squad will look to Grabowski and fellow sophomore Margaret Kemp for inspiration. Both had tremendous performances last season, fighting to work their way up the ladder as freshmen.

Kemp "is a key player because she has a chance to win some matches that other teams might not think she'd win," Ramsay said.

The most important matches for the team won't take place until February, so the team still has several months to continue training and fully recover from injuries. At the Ivy Scrimmages that took place last weekend, the team did well overall despite playing without four top players. The season officially opens with a match against Cornell two weekends from now.

The toughest matches will be against the squads from Yale and Harvard, both of which take place in February. Though the Harvard match is always a challenge and the Yale team is particularly strong, both players and coaches are confident that the Tigers can beat both teams.

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"When we have our one to nine playing, fit and on form, I think we can beat anyone," Rein-Weston said.

Regarding the Harvard match, Grabowski said that Princeton "really wants to beat Harvard this year because we lost to them 5-4 last year, and with a deeper ladder, we can really inflict some damage in their lineup."

The Tigers also expect the Yale match to be difficult, but the Bulldog squad is definitely "beatable," Rein-Weston said.

All of this confidence regarding the upcoming season, nonetheless, is contingent upon the team being able to avoid devastating injuries that have always caused the team trouble.

"We all need to be in top shape to be able to give 100 percent during every match," junior Gen Lessard said. "The biggest challenge this year is to be injury-free."

Overall, the feeling among the women's squash players is one of optimism for the season ahead.

"We are ready for a good season," Lessard said, "and we will be able to fight for the Ivy League title."