ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's squash team begins its 2025-26 campaign this weekend with a pair of road matches, facing No. 15 Middlebury on Saturday and No. 14 Williams on Sunday. Both contests are scheduled for noon starts as the Big Red looks to build on a strong foundation returning from last season.

Cornell enters the season ranked No. 7 in the College Squash Association after finishing last year 7-9 overall and 2-4 in Ivy League play. Tenth-year head coach David Palmer brings back significant firepower, led by junior Xin Ying Yee, who earned First Team All-American honors last season after posting a 13-3 record in dual matches and 16-4 overall. Yee's recognition marked the sixth consecutive season Cornell has produced a CSA First Team All-American, continuing a lineage that includes four-time honoree Sivasangari Subramaniam (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and two-time selection Wen Li Lai (2022, 2024). The Big Red have had at least one CSA All-American in 12 of the last 14 seasons.

Yee, who reached the semifinals of the CSA Individual Championships last January, returns as the anchor of Cornell's ladder. The Big Red also brings back Aishwarya Khubchandani, who played exclusively at No. 2 last season, and Alysa Ali, who competed at No. 4.

Four freshmen join the program this season: Vicky Lai, Lamees Shalaby, Sofia Soldatovich, and Calla Yim, providing depth and future promise for the Big Red.

SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY
Cornell is 6-0 all-time against the Panthers, with all six victories coming by 9-0 scores. The Big Red most recently defeated Middlebury, 9-0, on Jan. 21, 2018. Saturday marks just the second time Cornell is playing at Middlebury's home courts.

Middlebury, which is also playing its season opener on Saturday, is opening the campaign with a home-heavy schedule, playing 11 of its first 12 games at home. The Panthers bring back nine returners from last year's squad, which finished fourth in the Kurtz Cup at the CSA National Championships.

SCOUTING WILLIAMS
The Big Red hold a 16-9 all-time edge and have won 14 consecutive matches against the Ephs, dating back to Jan. 25, 2009, posting at least seven victories in each contest. Cornell has recorded eight or more victories in 11 of those 14 wins. Williams last defeated the Big Red, 6-3, on Feb. 24, 2007, in Princeton, N.J.

Williams, who opens its season Saturday against No. 5 Trinity, is playing eight of its first nine matches at home. The Ephs will be looking to carry its 12-9 overall record and 7-1 record in NESCAC play over into this season with 13 student-athletes from last year's team returning.