Fresh out of winter break, the women’s squash team, ranked thirteenth nationally, traveled to Boston to take on Harvard University.
The top-ranked Crimson shut out Bates, who were playing without sophomore All-American Nessrine Ariffin, their number one player. Junior Rakey Drammeh, freshman Lauren Williams, and senior Ali Bragg all played well, but could not come away with an elusive victory.
The Lady Cats were back in action two days later for Senior Night against Bowdoin. A strong team effort resulted in an 8-1 victory for the hosts, who got wins from senior captains Cheri-Ann Parris and Ali Bragg.
Bragg said that Senior Night is “always a fun match to come out on top of,” while also mentioning the outpouring of support from “faculty, family, and students”.
Parris won her match in four sets (11-7, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5), while Bragg won in three sets (11-6, 11-5, 12-10).
Sophomores Myriam Kelly, Chloe Mitchell, and Lesea Bourke all won in four sets at number two, three, and four, respectively.
With the win, the Lady Cats moved to 3-3 on the season, and 2-0 in NESCAC play.
Their undefeated league record would only last until the next day against Trinity. The Bantams, ranked third nationally, had little trouble with the visiting Bobcats, taking a decisive 9-0 match.
Bates did not win a set on the afternoon, although Parris was competitive in defeat, losing an 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 decision. Freshman Lauren Williams and Drammeh were also tough in their losses.
The Bobcats ended their tough opening week in Williamstown, Massachusetts, against the tenth-ranked Williams Ephs, falling 6-3.
No. 1 player Nesrine Ariffin returned to action for the first time in three matches and won her opening set, but was forced to retire in the second because of injury.
Cheri-Ann Parris came back from a 2-1 deficit to win her match in five sets at the No. 2 spot, 15-13, 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9.
Rakey Drammeh continued her strong week with a five set victory at No. 7, 11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6. Fellow junior Samantha Matos was the only other Bates player to score a win on the day with a tight four set win, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7.
Bragg said that the Bobcats “did not get all the results we were hoping for,” but added “that means we will just fight that much harder when we meet them again at NESCACs in February.”
Bates hosted Amherst on Tuesday, and will travel to Yale this weekend for a series of matches against Stanford, Cornell, Franklin & Marshall, and Dartmouth.
