ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 7-ranked Cornell women's squash opens its 2022-23 season with a trio of matches at the Belkin Squash Courts this weekend.

Cornell will play a pair of ranked opponents on Saturday when it plays No. 15 Williams and No. 20 St. Lawrence at noon and 4 p.m., respectively.

The Big Red will close out its three-match weekend when it plays Brown at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

All matches will be broadcast on Stretch Internet and live scoring will be provided by csasquash.com.

Coming off a 7-8 season last year, Cornell is hoping to improve upon its Kurtz Cup victory last year, which is the 'B' flight of team championships.

Cornell returns 11 of its 13 players who registered at least one match played last season.

One of the players who the Big Red will be without to begin the year is last year's Individual National Champion, Sivasangari Subramaniam, who is currently on a leave of absence. Subramaniam is currently scheduled to rejoin the team next semester and play in the new year.

A key returner for the Big Red includes Wen Li Lai, who posted an 11-4 record exclusively at the No. 2 spot on the Cornell ladder last season.

Lily Zelov (9-6), Alexis Shatzman (6-5), Ania LaDow (7-6), Sydney Bednar (4-3), and Kacey Mollenkopf (3-3) are the other players to register at least win percentages of at least .500 last year and will return to the court this season.

Scouting Report

Williams, Cornell's first opponent on Saturday, opens its season on Friday with three matches in as many days. The Ephs play Hamilton on Friday before traveling to Ithaca to face the Big Red. Following the match, they will head northwest to play William Smith in Geneva, N.Y., on Sunday.

Saturday will be the first meeting between the Big Red and Ephs since Nov. 17, 2018. Cornell has won its 11 matches against Williams, having dropped just eight games in that span.

Cornell will also face St. Lawrence on Saturday, a series that has been dominated by the Big Red. Over the previous 12 meetings between the two Empire State programs, Cornell has won all of them and has posted shutouts in the last 11 matches.

On Sunday, the Big Red will open Ivy League play against Brown. Cornell has won its last 12 over Brown, with the Big Red's last defeat to the Bears coming on Jan. 20, 2008.

Sunday will be the first time the two Ivy League opponents have played since Jan. 12, 2020, when Cornell posted a 6-3 victory.