PHILADELPHIA – The No. 27 Haverford College women's squash team opened its 2026-27 campaign with a split of two matches at the Pennsylvania State Classic on Saturday at the Penn Squash Center. The Fords began the morning with a 6-3 victory over No. 26 Dickinson, securing four contested wins in the middle and lower portions of the ladder, before falling to No. 20 Franklin & Marshall by a 9-0 score in the afternoon session.
No. 27 Haverford 6, No. 26 Dickinson 3
The Fords opened their 2026-27 campaign with a 6-3 victory over No. 26 Dickinson on Saturday morning, getting Pennsylvania State Classic action underway with a strong showing throughout the middle and lower portions of the ladder.
Haverford earned four contested victories at the fourth through seventh rungs of the ladder, pairing those results with default wins at the final two positions to secure the season-opening triumph. Julia Carrasco and Madison Craig-Williams each prevailed in four games, while Madeline Bulbulia and Matilda Chartener delivered commanding straight-game victories.
Carrasco rallied from a game down to defeat Cece Robinson at the fourth rung of the ladder. After dropping the opener, 11-7, Carrasco responded emphatically with an 11-3 second game to level the match. She followed with an 11-7 decision in the third before closing out a tightly contested fourth, 11-9, completing a 7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 victory.
At the fifth position, Craig-Williams shook off a second-game setback to dispatch Antara Shah in four. Craig-Williams captured the opening game, 11-7, before Shah squared the match with an 11-1 response. With the match level at one game apiece, Craig-Williams regained the advantage behind an 11-6 third game and finished with an 11-4 fourth, securing her first collegiate victory.
Bulbulia produced Haverford's most comprehensive victory at the sixth rung, surrendering just one point across three games against Sophia Wolpin. An 11-1 opening game gave way to consecutive 11-0 decisions as Bulbulia completed an emphatic sweep.
Chartener was similarly decisive at the seventh position, conceding only five points in an 11-2, 11-0, 11-3 defeat of Morgan Wheeler. Her victory capped a stretch in which Haverford won all four contested matches from the fourth through seventh positions, taking 12 of the 14 games played in those encounters.
Sarah Kotapka and Stella Sugiura added victories by default at the eighth and ninth positions, respectively, completing the Fords' six-point total in the opener.
Dickinson claimed the top three positions in straight games. Joelle Phuah fell to Anabel Romero Gemmell, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2, at the top rung of the ladder, while Zoe Liu was defeated by Kathryn Herring, 11-1, 11-0, 11-1, at the second position. Avallina Orfield challenged Thea Hegde in an 11-8 opening game at the third rung before Hegde completed the match with 11-4 and 11-5 decisions.
No. 20 Franklin & Marshall 9, No. 27 Haverford 0
Haverford returned to the courts for its second match of the day, facing No. 20 Franklin & Marshall in Pennsylvania State Classic action. The Fords battled through a challenging afternoon against the Diplomats, who ultimately secured a 9-0 victory with straight-game decisions at all nine scoring positions.
At the top rung of the ladder, Phuah faced Lojine El Shenawy, who established an early advantage with an 11-0 opening game. Phuah responded with three points in the second before producing her strongest effort in the third, but El Shenawy completed an 11-0, 11-3, 11-7 victory.
Liu battled Mariam Hussein at the second position, turning in a competitive opening game before ultimately falling in three. Hussein captured the opener, 11-8, before finding her rhythm in the ensuing games, taking consecutive 11-1 decisions to complete the sweep.
Orfield faced María Rodríguez at the third rung of the ladder, with the Franklin & Marshall player establishing control from the outset. Rodríguez claimed the opening game, 11-1, before adding 11-2 and 11-4 victories to secure another point for the Diplomats.
Craig-Williams, making her second appearance of the afternoon after recording her first collegiate victory against Dickinson, moved into the fourth position against Ashanti Amastal. The Franklin & Marshall player established an early advantage with an 11-3 opening game before taking the next two by 11-1 and 11-6 scores, respectively.
At the fifth rung, Bulbulia looked to build on her dominant morning performance against Mia Todd. The Diplomat secured an 11-3 opening-game victory before Bulbulia produced a more competitive effort in the second, ultimately falling 11-5. Todd closed out the match with an 11-2 decision in the third.
Chartener occupied the sixth position against Rory Dasher, who opened with an 11-0 victory. Chartener continued to battle in the second and third games, but Dasher maintained control to complete an 11-0, 11-3, 11-4 sweep.
Kotapka took on Noelle Bardorf at the seventh rung of the ladder, producing her strongest effort in the middle game. After Bardorf captured the opener, 11-2, Kotapka responded with six points in the second before the Diplomat secured the game, 11-6. Bardorf finished with an 11-0 third-game victory.
At the eighth position, Sugiura faced Joey Ho, who secured an 11-2, 11-1, 11-1 victory. Giselle Zhang rounded out Haverford's lineup at the ninth rung of the ladder, falling to Lavanya Mio Seshasayee by an 11-1, 11-2, 11-0 score.
Haverford now returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 5, opening Liberty League play with a trip to Vassar to take on No. 23 St. Lawrence and the host No. 30 Brewers in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
