Squash triumphs over three teams at Vassar College competition

Elba Barra Montgomery ‘23 beat the Wellesley opponents in just three matches at the Seven Sisters Squash Championship, hosted at Vassar College. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics.

By Lauren Leese ’23

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Squash surged to victory against teams from Wellesley College, Smith College and Vassar College on Saturday, Feb. 11 in a tournament held at Vassar College. The weekend’s games brought the Lyons’ record for the season up to 7-12.

First, the Lyons faced off against Smith. In the No. 1 position, Habiba Abouelatta ’26 won the first two games 11-0 and finished off with an 11-1 win. The rest of the team also won all of their matches, with no opponent scoring more than six points before the end of the game. The final result was 9-0 to the Lyons.

Vassar proved to be a tougher opponent, but the Lyons still prevailed with a score of 8-0. Ku Paw ’26 in the No. 3 position and Tina Mei ’26 in No. 4 both lost their first games but came back to win the next three matches and secure their overall victories. In the No. 2 position, Xaria Durocher ’24 won in three matches despite a tough showing from the No. 2 Vassar player that resulted in two of the games going to 12 points instead of the usual 11.

Finally, the Lyons achieved victory over Wellesley with a final score of 8-1. In No. 3, Paw lost the first two games 9-11 and 4-11 but proceeded to come back and defeat the No. 3 Wellesley player in the subsequent three games with scores of 11-3, 11-2 and 11-7. Abouelatta, Dnyaneshwari Haware ’23, Elba Barra Montgomery ’23 and Paige Gershuny ’25 all defeated their Wellesley opponents in only three matches.

Haware drew attention to the historical precedent of this competition. “The Seven Sisters Championship … has been a historical meet for many squash alums,” she said. “MHC has won this 12 times in the past 23 years and after winning it this weekend, we got a lot of congratulations from alums all over the world.”

“This was probably the busiest season post-pandemic and we also played 9 colleges in 9 days in January,” Haware continued. “But squash is a sport that will encourage you to keep working on yourself and teach you that every small thing … can make a big difference. We also have Recreational Squash every Wednesday at 6 or 6:30 p.m. where anyone can come and learn squash or play squash with another person for fun.”

Janiqua Davis ’23 won all three of her matchups against the other colleges’ athletes. “My performance this weekend was phenomenal,” Davis said. “I’m proud of my effort on the court despite [the] injuries I have been managing. I have kept a positive attitude on-and-off court, mentally kept my head in the game and stayed focused.”

Looking towards the College Squash Association Team Championships taking place from Feb. 17-19, Davis emphasized the importance of team spirit, self-care and perseverance. “As a team, we have been working extremely hard on how to support each other and most importantly ourselves in so many ways, both mentally and physically,” she said. “I have recognized that I came a long way to get where I’m at today on and off court … It is not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get back up and can grow through every obstacle.”

Next, Mount Holyoke Squash will head to the College Squash Association Team Championships at the University of Pennsylvania from Feb. 17-19.