MEDFORD, MA (February 10, 2023) -- The Tufts University women's squash squad, currently ranked No. 11 by the College Squash Association, sets itself for the 2023 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships this weekend, hosted by Williams College at the Simon Squash Center.
Championship Details:
2023 NESCAC Women's Squash Championships
Dates: Saturday, February 11 - Sunday, February 12
Location: Williamstown, MA – Simon Squash Center (
Directions)
Coverage:
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
The Jumbos and head coach
Joe Raho will look to continue its strong performance from this season, as Tufts has lost to only the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation since the start of 2023. The Jumbos are 10-4 overall, but have gone 7-1 against NESCAC opponents this season. Prior to Tuesday's loss at No. 2 Harvard University, the Jumbos had rattled off seven straight victories while dropping just four matches during that stretch.
Tufts has been led by
Sanjana Vissapragada this season as she has posted an 11-3 overall record, while going 10-2 at No. 6 on the year.
Ellyn Xu has played at No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9 for the Jumbos, and has recorded a very strong 10-4 mark in 2022-23. Sophomore
Aleezah Burhan has also recorded double-digit wins this year, including going 9-2 at the No. 5 spot in the lineup.
The second semester has seen the emergence of a star at the top of the lineup, as first-year No. 1
Vharsha Dinesh had won six straight matches before falling to one of the best players in the world in Marina Stefanoni from Harvard Tuesday.
Riddhi Joshi is 9-5 with all of her results coming at No. 2 this season, while
Caroline Chin has climbed up to No. 3 on the Tufts ladder to go 6-2 at the spot and 9-5 overall.
Senior captain Isa Scheider has been dealing with various injuries during the season, but is back and gives the Jumbos another strong player in the middle part of the lineup. Sophomore
Nieve Monderer has settled in nicely at the No. 4 position this semester, going 6-1 at the spot while rattling off eight wins on the campaign overall.
Ami Sao has also posted nine wins this season, playing at the bottom three spots in the lineup. Tufts has posted a win percentage in matches of .651 on the campaign, while winning over 70 percent of matches at No. 5, No. 6, No. 8 and No. 9.
Tufts is looking to snap a 15-year reign of dominance by No. 1 ranked Trinity College, as the Bantams have won every NESCAC Women's Squash title since the tournament started in 2007. The Bantams enter the NESCAC Championship with an unblemished mark of 13-0, which includes snapping Harvard's 105-match win streak on Jan. 15. Tufts fell in the final in 2022 to Trinity 9-0.
The Jumbos first opponent of the tournament will be Colby College, as the Mules own a 6-2 edge in the NESCAC postseason series, but dropped an 8-1 decision to Tufts in the first round of the 2020 championship in the last meeting in the tournament. Colby won three of its last five matches to end the regular season.
Action starts Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. with the semifinals on Sunday at 9 a.m. and the finals happening later Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Williamstown.
--JUMBOS--
