The Amherst women’s squash team began its campaign on a high-note two weekends ago, resoundingly besting Tufts on Nov.17 by a final score of 7-2. The Mammoths then swept Boston University the very next day, 9-0.

Taking place at Amherst’s Davenport Courts, the Tufts match proved to be an exhilarating opening contest that featured three five-set thrillers up and down the lineup. At the top was Riddhi Sampat ’21, who battled back from a first-set loss and another setback in the fourth to seal a hard-fought win (5-11, 11-7, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8). Haley McAtee ’18 and Pierson Klein ’20 both put forth similarly strong fights, with each woman coming up just short in five-set matches.

The rest of the Mammoths lineup had easier paths to victory, as each competitor won in straight sets, with some extra work from Rachel Ang ’19 on court two (15-13, 11-4, 16-14) and Jenna Finkelstein ’20 in the number eight spot (11-9, 13-11, 11-5).
The momentum from the opening win continued into the BU match the next day. Sampat routed her opponent in the top spot (11-0, 11-4, 11-0) and both Finkelstein and Katy Sabina Correia ’20 closed out the action, by shutting out the Terriers with 11-0, 11-0, 11-0 wins in the eighth and ninth positions, respectively.

Returning players such as Finkelstein, one of the top seventh-court players in the country, and Correia and Mae Cromwell ’18 continued their strong close to last season, while incomer Margaret Werner ’21 made her mark with two strong wins to open the season.

“Having only played in individual tournaments throughout middle and high school, I’m feeling excited to a be a part of a team and help represent Amherst this season,” Werner said.

“We played Tufts and BU back to back … both were important matches in setting the competitive tone for the season ahead. Everyone performed well in the matches and the hard work we’ve been putting in was pretty apparent in our wins.”

With such a strong start, the Mammoths are already well on their way to matching last season’s successes. Amherst next plays Conn. College and Northeastern University in a round robin tournament on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.