HAVERFORD, Pa. – The 26th-ranked Haverford College women's squash team (4-7) delivered a dominant performance on Saturday, securing back-to-back 9-0 sweeps over conference foes No. 30 William Smith and No. 29 Vassar. The matches, part of a three-team round-robin showcase at the GIAC Squash Courts, also featured a pre-match Senior Day ceremony honoring Ariana Solecki and Catherine Fortin before the contest against William Smith.
#26 Haverford 9, #30 William Smith 0
The bottom rungs of the ladder kicked off a strong Senior Day for the Fords, as Ofri Geva defeated Danie DeZart 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 in flight seven. Aman Hamdard kept the momentum going for the Fords in flight eight, dispatching Ashley Ambrosio 11-4, 11-2, 11-3, while in flight nine, Matilda Chartener swept Grace Whittaker 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, giving Haverford a 3-0 lead.
The Fords continued to collect wins up the ladder, as Caroline Gay claimed an 11-0, 11-3, 11-2 victory over Teghan Torrey in flight six, Zoe Liu cruised past Tamia Rollaing 11-4, 11-0, 11-8, and Julia Carrasco vanquished Kimberly Javier 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in flight four, giving the Scarlet and Black a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Following solid victories by senior Catherine Fortin (defeating Scarlett Sandoval 11-3, 11-1, 11-0) and Joelle Phuah (defeating Brianna Lucero 11-6, 11-5, 11-4), senior Ariana Solecki celebrated her Senior Day with a hard-fought five-game victory over Reshika Rajarathinam in the top flight. After Rajarathinam took a two-games-to-one lead, Solecki battled back, winning the final two games to claim a 9-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10 victory, clinching a 9-0 sweep over William Smith.
#26 Haverford 9, #29 Vassar 0
The Fords jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, as Aman Hamdard and Matilda Chartener collected wins by default in the eighth and ninth flights.
Ofri Geva picked up right where she left off in her first match, earning her second sweep of the day in the seventh flight by shutting down Iesha DeSilva 11-0, 11-1, 11-0. Fellow first-year Caroline Gay claimed her second win of the day in flight six, defeating Perla Leal 11-1, 11-0, 11-2 in just eight minutes, while Zoe Liu clinched the match for the Fords with an 11-1, 11-0, 11-7 win over Lexi Donshik.
The winning continued up the ladder, as Julia Carrasco and Joelle Phuah followed suit. Carrasco picked up an 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 win over Sophia Choudhri in flight four, and Phuah triumphed 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 against Charlotte Tobin in flight two.
To cap off the shutout of the Brewers, Ariana Solecki bested Adriana Ordaya 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 in the top flight for the eighth point, while teammate Catherine Fortin sailed past Sarah Boucher-Rowe 11-5, 11-1, 11-4 for the ninth and final point.
After an emphatic showing in front of their home crowd, the Fords will now turn their attention to the Liberty League Championships, set to begin on Saturday, February 8, in Canton, N.Y., at St. Lawrence University. More information, including schedules and draws, is expected to be announced early next week.
