PHILADELPHIA (March 6, 2026) -- The No. 12 Tufts University women's squash team battled through several tight matches but fell 6-3 to No. 9 Drexel University on Friday in the consolation round of the CSA National Team Championships at the Arlen Specter Squash Center.
Despite the final score, the Jumbos delivered strong performances across the lineup, capturing three victories and pushing multiple matches to five games against the higher-ranked Dragons. Drexel improved to 8-9 on the season with the win, while Tufts moved to 11-9 overall.
Tufts earned an impressive victory at the No. 2 position from Sohni Vermani, who outlasted Ana Karen Botello in a hard-fought five-game battle. After dropping the opening game, Vermani rallied to take the next two before Botello forced a deciding fifth. Vermani responded with a composed 11-7 final game to secure the point for the Jumbos.
The Jumbos also showed resilience in the middle of the lineup as Indira Moshi earned a comeback victory at No. 7. After splitting the first four games with Claudia Adam, Moshi closed the match with a narrow 11-9 win in the fifth to claim Tufts' second point of the afternoon.
At the bottom of the ladder, Anika Parr added another highlight for Tufts with a dramatic five-game win over Eveli Malk at No. 9. Parr recovered from dropping the opening game and ultimately prevailed 11-9 in the deciding game to cap off another tightly contested match.
Several other courts produced competitive battles for the Jumbos. Maria Arseniev pushed Drexel's Emilia Falconi in a four-game contest at No. 3, while Anika Goyal came within a handful of points of victory at No. 5 before Drexel's Nora Juhasz edged out a 12-10 decision in the fifth game.
In the end, Drexel secured the match with wins at Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, but the Jumbos demonstrated their depth and competitiveness with three wins and multiple matches decided in the final game against a top-10 opponent.
Tufts will play its final match of the 2025-26 season Saturday, taking on conference foe and No. 10 Amherst College for the third time this year in the Howe Cup 11th place play-off at 3 p.m.
#9 Drexel University 6, #12 Tufts University 3
3/6/2026 at Philadelphia, PA (Arlen Specter Squash Center)
1. Emma Bartley (DREXEL) def. Vharsha Dinesh (TUFTSWSQ) 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
2. Sohni Vermani (TUFTSWSQ) def. Ana Karen Botello (DREXEL) 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7
3. Emilia Falconi (DREXEL) def. Maria Arseniev (TUFTSWSQ) 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9
4. Luciana Castillo (DREXEL) def. Ella Hill (TUFTSWSQ) 11-0, 11-3, 13-11
5. Nora Juhasz (DREXEL) def. Anika Goyal (TUFTSWSQ) 11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 5-11, 12-10
6. Awande Malinga (DREXEL) def. Chloe Bergam (TUFTSWSQ) 11-7, 11-9, 11-4
7. Indira Moshi (TUFTSWSQ) def. Claudia Adam (DREXEL) 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9
8. Ariyan Irani (DREXEL) def. Sejal Virk (TUFTSWSQ) 11-5, 11-8, 11-5
9. Anika Parr (TUFTSWSQ) def. Eveli Malk (DREXEL) 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9
Match Notes
Tufts University 11-9; National ranking #12
Drexel University 8-9; National ranking #9
T-2:30 A-200
--JUMBOS--
