ITHACA, N.Y. — The women's squash team gets its regular season started with a pair of non-league matches Sunday at Belkin International Squash Courts. The Big Red hosts St. Lawrence at noon before concluding the day with a 5 p.m. match against William Smith.
 
Cornell is coming off a season in which it posted a 8-10 record, winning its final four matches to capture the College Squash Association's Kurtz Cup – the 'B' flight of the team national championships. It was the program's third such title, which comes with a season-ending national ranking of ninth.
 
The Big Red returns the bulk of its key contributors, led by sophomore Sivasangari Subramaniam. After arriving in the final third of the season, Subramaniam immediately staked her claim as one of collegiate squash's top competitors by finishing second in the CSA Individual National Championships in March. She made even more of a splash during Cornell's offseason, recently moving as far as the third round of the U.S. Open and the Round of 16 at the World Championships during the fall.
 
Subramaniam, now ranked 42nd in the world by the Professional Squash Association, wasn't the only newcomer to make big contributions last year. Sophomore Lily Zelov typically competed at the No. 2 position last year, posting a 9-8 record that had her part of a five-way tie for the team lead in individual victories. Classmate Steph Tan ranked behind just Subramaniam in winning percentage, going 8-3 from primarily the No. 9 spot.
 
Cornell also boasts a senior class of three that has made big contributions in its time on East Hill. Madison Miles and Colby Gallagher give the Big Red experience at positions 2 to 5, and Lucy Martin led the team with 11 victories during the 2017-18 season. A void left by the matriculation of three members of the Class of 2019 is filled with five freshmen. Of that group, Alexis Shatzman and McKenna Stoltz have the highest U.S. Squash ratings.
 
Tabbed ninth in the CSA's preseason rankings, Cornell unofficially started up the season last weekend at the Ivy Scrimmages, hosted by Penn. Now, the Big Red will start off as a heavy favorite in its two tests before a big Ivy League-opening match against Columbia on Dec. 8.
 
Sunday's doubleheader starts with a match against 25th-ranked St. Lawrence, which is coached by a familiar face – former Cornell assistant coach Scott Denne. The Saints, who start their season with a Friday match at Hobart, are led by sophomores Sanna Koivumaki and Makyla Kelley – both entrants in the CSA Individual National Championships last March. Cornell has won all 10 meetings its had with the 2019 Liberty League champions, including a 9-0 decision to conclude its regular season last year.
 
The weekend concludes with a visit from regional rival William Smith, which is ranked 27th and is 3-0 in the early going with wins over Denison, Rochester and Washington University in St. Louis on Nov. 2. Cornell has won all 15 meetings against William Smith, having not conceded any points in the 14 meetings since 2003.