Three Tigers triple-bagel opponents

Indicative of the women's squash team's success this weekend, three members of the Tiger squad were able to record wins in which they did not drop a single point. Princeton (3-0 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) lost only a single game over the course of the two matches against Williams and Brown on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to maintain its undefeated record.

Senior No. 8 Becca Shingleton and freshman Maggie O'Toole cruised to 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 victories in the match against Williams, while freshman No. 10 Aly Brady posted the same perfect score in the Brown match.

"I thought that our team played seamlessly and did a good job of keeping our goals intact this weekend," said O'Toole, who played at No. 7 against the Ephs and at No. 9 against the Bears. "If we keep focusing like we have been doing for the rest of the season, we should be able to put up a strong fight against any team."

In her first home matches of the season, O'Toole had an incredibly strong showing. After putting up a shutout score on Friday night, she gave up only two points to her Brown opponent on Saturday.

Sophomore Lena Neufeld played at No. 1 against Williams, and sophomore Casey Riley, who recently recovered from a substantial injury, played at No. 2. Both beat their opponents, 3-0, and Riley only gave up three points throughout the match.

The tensest moment in this weekend's play occurred during the Brown match when No. 1 junior Claire Rein-Weston lost the first game, 9-4. She quickly recovered, however, and won the next three, 9-2, 9-1, 9-5, for an easy victory over her Bear opponent.

Part of this weekend's success can clearly be attributed to the great fan support the team enjoyed during its first home matches.

"Since we're on the road for most of the season, we wanted to give our home fans two great matches, and we accomplished that," said sophomore Carly Grabowski, who played at No. 4 and No. 6 in the matches against the Ephs and Brown, respectively.

"Going into our first home match always provides a little adrenaline, so I went out there with a lot of energy," said Grabowski, who defeated her Williams opponent by 9-4, 9-1, 9-2 scores and her Bear opponent, 9-4, 9-5, 9-0. "I played well and was able to step up on the T and volley to keep the pace of the game at my level."

The only other home matches for the Tigers are the Constable Invitational and the Yale match, neither of which occur until the new year.

"We had a lot of great support from our teammates, families and friends, and that really helped us achieve this weekend's success," O'Toole said.

Regardless, Princeton will not be able to keep up the success that seemed so effortless this past weekend without sustained dedication. The most difficult matches for the Tigers will not come until January and February, when the team faces perennial rivals Harvard, Yale and Trinity.

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The team is confident, however, that it will be able to stay focused on training — and avoid crippling injuries — as it prepares for its most difficult matchups.

"We have a lot of potential this year because our ladder is so deep," Grabowski said. "We are training to peak for match play after winter break, so [this weekend's matches] might not have been our best matches, but we certainly put our best effort on the courts."

Indeed, Princeton now has a seven-week hiatus to hone its skills. The next match for the team will come on the weekend of Jan. 27-29 when the team hosts the Constable Invitational, which will be held in Jadwin Gym.