Both squash teams took on top-10 ranked opponents this weekend. The women lost 8-1 to No. 8 Dartmouth in the last home game of the season. Meanwhile, the No. 16 men defeated No. 26 Tufts with a resounding 9-0 victory, but fell 9-0 to No. 4 Harvard and 8-1 to No. 7 Dartmouth.
The Bears kept busy, playing multiple matches and preparing for the College Squash Association Team Championships, which are this upcoming weekend in Princeton for the men and in two weeks' time at Harvard for the women.
Sarah Crosky '13 was the lone Bear to win her Dartmouth match for the women, though Sarah Beresford '13 and Dori Rahbar '14 fought hard to push their matches to close five-game thrillers.
"The overall score doesn't reflect how close the games were. Most matches went to multiple games with close scores in each game," Rahbar said. "We can really see how much everyone's improved their game in a few short months. It sets us up for a great run at nationals."
Co-captain Brooke Dalury '12 said she was proud of the team's performance. "Everyone really played their hearts out," Dalury said. "We were in a great mindset of positivity for the match, and I think it showed on court. Sarah Crosky had an unbelievable win in three games."
For the captains, Dalury and Erika Kohnen '12, the match was the last home competition of their Brown careers.
"Senior Day was really great, and Erika and I felt really appreciated and emotional," Dalury said. "The girls have been unbelievable this year, and we've felt so lucky to be their captains. They make it easy."
The men's team faced Tufts first, where a loss likely would have meant a drop in the national rankings, said Chris Holter '13 Sunday.
"We were able to beat Tufts without dropping a match," said Tucker Bryan '12. "It was a good boost of confidence for the team and gave us an opportunity to rest some of our injured guys."
After the win over Tufts, the squad faced off Saturday against powerhouse Harvard. Though the team lost every match, Bryan credited co-captain Blake Reinson '14 for a particularly strong performance, which he said impressed both teams.
"We knew we were outmatched going into Harvard," said co-captain Brad Thompson '12. "Those guys are a strong contender for the title this year. We took it as a learning experience and enjoyed testing ourselves against such a strong team. We definitely kept nationals in the back of our minds and used the matches to prepare ourselves for this coming weekend."
Though the men's team ultimately lost Sunday to the Big Green, the Bears were happy to see Tod Holberton '14 back on the courts after a speedy recovery from a hip injury.
Despite the loss, Thompson said he was pleased with the last home game of his Brown career. "For my last home match against Dartmouth, we had a great crowd and tons of support," Thompson said. "Personally, I played some of the best squash I've played in my life at the number one position against a very strong Dartmouth number one."
Reinson was the lone Bear to win his Dartmouth match, while Bryan and Holter pressured their opponents before both falling 3-1.
"On Sunday, we put up a strong fight against Dartmouth, taking the number two match and having close battles at three and four," Thompson said. "If we play as tough as we did against Dartmouth at nationals this weekend, we'll have a strong shot at climbing the rankings."
