ITHACA, N.Y. -- With two All-Americans and four All-Ivy League selections returning, the Big Red men's and women's squash teams will look to move up the national rankings during the 2013-14 season. The women's team held steady at sixth in the nation last season, while the men's team finished the campaign ranked eighth by the College Squash Association.
 
Both teams begin play Saturday afternoon with matches at Drexel, then conclude the weekend with matches against teams nearby in the rankings. The Big Red women's team plays seventh-ranked Stanford at 5 p.m. Saturday at Drexel, then the men's team takes on ninth-ranked Western Ontario at 11 a.m. Sunday back at Belkin International Squash Courts in Ithaca, N.Y.
 
The women's squash team has finished sixth in the national rankings for the last two years, thanks to a pair of 5-4 victories over Stanford at opposite ends of the season's calendar. The Big Red went 13-7 overall, setting a program record for victories in a season. It broke the old mark of 12, which was set in 2011-12.
 
Junior Danielle Letourneau, a two-time All-American and All-Ivy League selection, will return to anchor the top of the Big Red lineup. She has a career record of 21-13 from the No. 1 position and finished the season ranked seventh in the country after advancing to the quarterfinals of the national individual championships. Letourneau will serve as co-captain alongside senior Jessenia Pacheco, who emerged as the team's No. 2 entry last season with an impressive 12-4 record. That mark earned her an All-Ivy League team selection and a No. 14 national ranking.
 
Junior Rachel Au and sophomore Brynn Daniels have experience from the middle of the lineup. Newcomers Rachel Scherman and Sydney Francis are also expected to step right into competitive matches.
 
Julee Devoy, who is entering her 10th season as the head coach, said the key matches this season are against No. 7 Stanford (Saturday), No. 8 Dartmouth (Feb. 2) and No. 11 Columbia (Dec. 7).
 
"The season is set to be extremely challenging," she said. "With a squad of only 10 players, everyone has to remain injury-free and in good health for a chance of maintaining our CSA preseason ranking of No. 6.  Headed up with two very committed captains, the team is in good hands."
 
The men's squash team went 16-6 last season, which gave it the highest winning percentage (.727) for a season in program history. The highlight of the campaign was when the Big Red knocked off top-ranked and previously undefeated Princeton as part of a three-match sweep in the final weekend of the regular season. That left the Big Red ranked fifth and gave the program its first five-win Ivy League season since the program's inception in 1956-57. But three losses at the Potter Cup – the final two with 5-4 scores – left the squad eighth at the conclusion.
 
The Big Red will return its top two players for the bulk of the season. Senior Nick Sachvie is expected to return for the second semester after amassing a 34-19 record over the last three years. He is a three-time All-American and three-time All-Ivy League selection. Sachvie finished last season ranked sixth in the country after advancing to the quarterfinals of the national individual championships. Junior co-captain Aditya Jagtap was the team's primary No. 2 entry last season, winning 14 of his 18 matches en route to his first All-Ivy League selection.
 
After junior Ryan Todd and senior co-captain Bryan Keating, the remainder of the lineup could be fairly young. Sophomores Graham Dietz and Abhijit Malik saw significant time last season in the bottom portion of the order. While Gustav Runersjö is expected to compete in the middle 3, the squad's remaining freshmen – Kevin Flannery, Harry Freeman and Augie Jones – are likely to challenge for lower spots.
 
"With all four newcomers making the travel squad, there is good depth at the bottom of the lineup," head coach Mark Devoy said. "That really keeps the roster competitive."