Traveling to Harvard to defend their national title, the Amherst women’s squash team again emerged victorious. Harvard and MIT both hosted the 2015 women’s national team Championship, in which 44 teams from six different divisions competed in separate cups. Amherst played in the Walker Cup (C Division), against similarly ranked teams.

The 17th-ranked Amherst women dominated their first match-up against Wellesley during the opening day of competition. Amherst went 9-0, sweeping all of their matches. The Jeffs took charge of the tournament from the start; not a single match had to be played to five sets.

“It was a fun weekend for the team with three days of great squash,” Nicole Yang ’16 said. “We were all really excited to compete for the Walker Cup again.”

The Jeffs advanced to the second day of play, facing off against No. 21 ranked Colby College. On the No. 1 court, Kim Krayacich ’18 fell to her opponent in a fierce battle of five back-and-forth sets.

Her teammates swept courts two through seven, dropped the eighth in another five set match, and claimed the ninth. On the second court, Arielle Lehman ’15 won against her opponent in four sets, after dropping the first set she won three in a row. Haley McAtee ’18, Tiana Palmer-Poroner ’17 and Ericka Robertson ’16 swept the next three courts in a quick three sets.

Advancing to the finals, the Amherst women faced off against Bowdoin for the national title. The Polar Bears brought their A-game, taking the No. 1 and 2 courts. From the first court Krayacich again played another nail-biting five set match. McAtee on the No. 3 court brought home the win for Amherst in another lengthy match-up, winning 3-2.

Palmer-Poroner impressed on court No. 4 securing the win 3-1.

“I am really happy with my team because we definitely support each other on and off the court,” the sophomore said.

Amherst also swept courts No. 6-9, beating Bowdoin overall 6-3. Taryn Clary ’16 overcame her rival in four sets, while Meyha Sud ’16, Khushy Aggarwal ’16 and Corri Johnson ’16 all defeated their Bowdoin counterparts in a clean three sets.

Coming off winning the national championship for the second time in a row, Palmer-Poroner said future prospects look good for future seasons.

“Everyone did a great job on court and fighting for every point. I hope next year is just as successful,” she said.

The team finished the season with a 13-6 record. While the women are not competing as a team again this season, top individuals will head to the CSA Individuals in two weeks, from Feb. 27 to March 1, hosted by Dartmouth.