Sophomore Christa Kay found herself in a 2-1 game deficit heading into the final stretch of women’s squash’s opening weekend on Nov. 22-24. She lined up to serve, just like any other match.
But across the court was her sister. Theresa Kay, 16 months older than Christa and a senior at Williams, was one game away from closing the match. Christa said there was a large amount of pressure on her going into the match.
“I remember my coach said this was going to be hard because everyone is going to be watching,” Christa said. “Everyone was going to want to see the two sisters go head-to-head.”
The match went the full five-set distance, with Christa taking the last two sets 11-6 and 11-6 to complete the No. 8 Red’s 9-0 sweep of No.14 Williams (1-2, 1-0 NESCAC), moving its overall record to 1-1 on the season. Christa said she tried to stay in the moment during the competition and is thankful for what may have been her last opportunity to play her sister in tournament play.
“We knew that whatever the results of the match were, it would be memorable for both of us and something we would want to look back on,” Kay said. This was such a memorable experience, and I’m glad both my parents got to witness it.”
Red swept all eight other positions without losing a single game. Sophomore Xin Ying Yee stayed undefeated on the season defeating Melanie Wang in three straight games — 11-4, 11-9 and 11-5. Freshman Sabine Bell also added to her undefeated freshman season, losing only four total points in her victory over Anika Kakarla.
The win over Williams came directly after a 7-2 loss to No. 5 Stanford (3-0) on Nov. 22. Despite strong performances from Ying and Ball, the team lost multiple decisive matches.
Junior Alysa Ali battled Stanford’s Amelie Haworth. Although leveling the match at two games apiece, Ali fell 11-7 in the fifth set, handing Stanford the win. Sophomore Maya Voloshin and freshman Kahjin Yap lost in close four-game battles. Coach David Palmer said despite the loss, he sees great potential in his team’s ability.
“There were some close 4-5 matches that did not go our way,” Palmer said. “I was delighted with how close some of the matches were, and the feedback I gave the team reinforced that our pre-season training went well and that we are very close to the top-five teams in the league.”
No. 9 men’s squash moved to 2-0 in the season after it defeated No. 14 Western (0-1) 9-0 and No. 11 Williams (1-1), 7-2.
Red dropped only seven games in its victory against Western, with senior Aaron Liang and freshman Roman Bicknell coming back from a 2-1 game deficit to claim a match victory. Despite early game fatigue, Bicknell said he was able to outlast his opponent by staying focused and listening to his coach’s advice.
“After the third game, it was all mental. I sat down with my coach and he said: ‘I know your shots aren’t hitting and it’s frustrating, but you’re fitter than him. You need to push through,’” Bicknell said. “Every time I lost a point from then on I would look at [our coach] and tell myself that if I’m tired then [my opponent] must be finished.”
Cornell followed up its win against Western with a victory against Williams, improving to 2-0 on the season. Liang continued to perform, this time winning in three sets. Despite sophomore Syan Singh’s upset loss to Williams’ Jack Lee in four games, snapping his eight-game win streak, strong performances from undefeated freshman Youssef Sarhan and senior Shreemann Raghavan pulled Red ahead. Palmer said that, although expectations were high, he was proud of his team’s match execution.
“It was an excellent start to the season for the men’s team, winning both matches,” Palmer said. “These teams are ranked below us, but we went into the matches without underestimating our opponents. I was happy with everyone’s fitness, and we will be focusing more on tactics and mental approaches in the coming weeks.”
The men’s and women’s teams head to Tufts on Dec. 7 to continue the season. Palmer said the key to a win for both teams is strong senior leadership.
“We need to start well,” Palmer said. “Winning the first round of matches and having our senior class lead will be necessary. They are right behind us on the early rankings, and this will motivate us to continue our good record against them.”
Paul Kurgan is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at [email protected].