ITHACA, N.Y. — The men's and women's squash teams will open the Ivy League portion of their schedules at 11 a.m. Saturday, when they take on Columbia at Belkin International Squash Courts.
 
The Big Red women's team (2-0) enters the weekend after a very successful opening weekend, including a 7-2 victory over rival Stanford. Cornell won the final six matches against the Cardinal, including victories from freshmen Rachel Scherman and Sydney Francis and sophomores Brynn Daniels and Olivia Wherry. The victory over the Cardinal – coupled with a 9-0 sweep of Drexel –allowed Cornell to keep its place as No. 6 in the College Squash Association national rankings, ahead of No. 7 Stanford.
 
In Columbia, the Big Red will be taking on the 11th-ranked team in the country. The Lions started their season two weeks ago with a 7-2 victory over No. 14 George Washington. Saturday's match will be just the third meeting all-time between Cornell and Columbia. The Big Red secured 9-0 victories in both 2011 and 2012, with last year's meeting marking the first in the Ivy League standings.
 
The Cornell men's team (1-0) is also coming off an encouraging start. The Big Red outlasted upstart 21st-ranked Drexel, 5-4, with junior Aditya Jagtap locking up the winning point with a four-game victory at the No. 1 position. The Big Red then traveled home to successfully defending its No. 8 ranking with a 6-3 victory over No. 9 Western Ontario on Nov. 24. All three Cornell freshmen – Kevin Flannery (No. 4), Gustav Runersjö (No. 5) and Harry Freeman (No. 9) – won their respective matches against the Mustangs.
 
Drexel and Penn defeated Williams that weekend, which then helped Columbia to move up one spot to 11th in the country after a 9-0 sweep of 29th-ranked George Washington. The Lions' lineup is headlined by the Tandon brothers. Freshman Rishi Tandon (No. 2) will take on Cornell for the first time in his collegiate career, and junior Ramit Tandon finished last season as an All-American, All-Ivy League First Team selection, and ranked fifth in the country.
 
The Big Red holds a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-4 victory last season at Columbia's new home facility. Cornell earned a 8-1 victory on Dec. 3, 2011 in the programs' first meeting since a Lions hiatus followed the 1987-88 season.