NEW HAVEN, CT - Amherst College defeated Tufts 8-1 in the opening round of the College Squash Association Team Championships Walker Cup on Friday at Yale University.
With a strong finish to their regular-season, the Tufts women's team earned a spot in the Walker Cup which features the 17th through 24th ranked teams in the nation. Amherst (#17) is the top seed in the Walker bracket and Tufts (#24) is the eighth seed.
The lone Tufts victory on Friday came in the top spot where senior captain Paget Stanco roared back from a 2-0 deficit to win. Amherst's Rachael Ang started strong with 11-7 and 14-12 wins. However, Stanco rallied for 11-6, 11-4, and 11-3 victories that gave her the match.
Jumbo freshman Hannah Burns played well in a five-game loss at #3 to Amherst's Haley McAtee. Burns led 2-1 with 11-9 and 11-8 wins in the second and third games, respectively. However, McAtee posted 11-5 and 11-7 scores in the fourth and fifth for the win.
Tufts sophomore Lauren Banner won her first game at #5 11-7 before Amherst's Taryn Clary took the match with an 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 run.
Amherst won six times in three games. The most competitive was at #2 where Kim Krayacich defeated Tufts freshman Zarena Jafry 11-7, 11-6, 11-8.
The Jumbos (12-8) drop into the consolation bracket where they will play Hamilton on Saturday at 11:30 at Yale. The Continentals, ranked fourth in the bracket and 20th overall, were edged by fifth-seed Colby 5-4 in the first round on Friday.
Amherst (10-5) will face Colby in the winner's braket on Saturday at Yale starting at 11:30 am.
> CSA Team Championships Walker Cup Bracket
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