Then-freshman Camill Lanier had the signature win of Penn women’s squash’s 6-3 upset of undefeated Trinity last year, coming back to win her match in five sets.
Credit: Ellen FriersonWhen Chloe Blacker, Hyland Murphy and Courtney Jones hit the court this season, there will be an extra desire to succeed.
As the only seniors on Penn’s women’s squash team, these girls know that this will be the final year for them to make an impact on this program.
“Squash has been such a big part of my life,” Jones said. “I want to end my Penn squash career on a high.”
After three straight years of third-place Ivy finishes, the women’s team is ready to make that next step to capture an Ancient Eight crown.
“I can speak for all of us when I say we want to win the Ivies this year,” Murphy said.
The Red and Blue are confident that they can make that leap over the perennial Ivy powerhouses of Princeton and Harvard. The College Squash Association believes in the Quakers’ chances this season as well.
The team is ranked third only behind Trinity, which they beat last year, and Harvard, the reigning Howe Cup champions that bested the women’s team twice last year.
On a team filled with younger players — including last year’s freshman sensation and fourth-ranked player at the end of last year Yan Xin — the seniors have imparted their knowledge gained from four years of experience.
“When the [younger players] come to college squash, they’ve just had experience playing individually,” Jones said. “So we’ve been focusing on showing them how squash can be a team sport.”
Murphy echoed that sentiment, saying, “We try to help freshman know what is expected of them and help them get used to college life on their own without their parents.”
Wins and losses are always brought up when discussing one’s contribution to a team. These three seniors have had no problem helping their team win crucial matches, putting together a combined record of 28-5 with seven wins coming in Ivy matches.
Chloe Blacker had an impressive junior campaign, compiling a record of 18-2 with five wins in conference play. Blacker attributed her success to going the extra mile with the team and on her own.
“The key was to keep on progressing with the team in all of our workouts. Another big key was fitness for me, going the extra mile and doing fitness on my own,” Blacker said.
After coming to Penn, the members of this team have learned about the team aspect and focused on becoming better as a team rather than as an individual.
If the Penn women’s squash team wants to finish higher than third in the Ivy, the burden will lie on its seniors to step up and lead this young team to glory.
“This is my last year, so I think more on the team aspect of things now,” Blacker said. “We make sure everyone has their own set goals and think about how we can grow together to achieve one common goal.”
If the three seniors can succeed in bringing the team together, Penn just may be able to obtain that goal of an Ivy League championship.
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