WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The men's and women's squash teams will play their only matches in the fall semester on Saturday at the Williams Round Robin, when they take on Middlebury at 11 a.m. and the host Ephs at 3 p.m.
The Cornell women's team is coming off its fourth consecutive season with a No. 6 national ranking after posting a 10-7 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Ivy League play. While the Big Red loses three players to from that group — including four-time first-team All-American
Danielle Letourneau '15 — Cornell had positive returns from four freshmen combining for a 40-26 record in their respective matches. Sophomore Michèle Garceau and junior
Rachel Scherman return to the top rotation. Seniors
Reut Odinak and
Olivia Wherry will serve as co-captains.
The Big Red is still ranked in its familiar spot of sixth in the College Squash Association's rankings this week, where it has remaining since defeating Stanford in the consolation semifinals of the Howe Cup in February 2012. Williams, looking for its first trip to the A Division since 2009, is ranked 12th before opening its season with Friday night matches against Columbia and Mount Holyoke. Middlebury opens its season against Cornell with a national ranking of No. 14. Cornell defeated Williams, 9-0, to start its season last year, and its last meeting with Middlebury also was a Big Red sweep on Jan. 18, 2013.
The Cornell men's team is looking to return to the A Division after finishing the season ranked 11th with a third-place showing at the Hoehn Cup. The youthful Big Red loses just one player for its roster a season ago, though it's a significant loss — No. 1
Aditya Jagtap '15 and his 14-2 mark in dual matches. Seniors
Graham Dietz and Gustav Runersjö, and junior
Kevin Flannery will serve as trip-captains. Dietz was 13-4 from the Nos. 4-9 positions a year ago, and sophomore
Jordan Brail ranked third on the team with 10 victories.
The Big Red was tabbed 12th in the preseason coaches' poll, opening up against 17th-ranked Middlebury. Cornell won the programs' last meeting, 6-3, on Jan. 18, 2013 at the Yale Round Robin. Williams is also currently positioned in the B Division, ranked 15th. The Big Red defeated the Ephs, 9-0, in last year's season-opening Cornell Round Robin.
