AMHERST, Mass. – Despite wins from the top two positions, the Mount Holyoke College squash team could not overcome a strong effort from the lower ladder by the Jeffs, falling 7-2 at Amherst College on Wednesday evening. With the win, the #17 Jeffs move to 8-10 on the season, while the #23 Lyons slip to 9-10 overall.

MHC's victories came from the top as senior captain Randima Ranaweera recorded a 3-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7) win against Erika Robertson. Sophomore Sherouk Khefagy then claimed victory from the second position as she cruised to a 3-0 (11-8, 11-1, 11-6) win against Arielle Lehman.

The Lyons saw a hard-fought battle from first year Allison Shilling in the fourth spot as she shouldered a 3-1 (11-13, 11-4, 11-4, 11-3) loss to Tianna Palmer-Poroner. Junior Samantha Rosado suffered a 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-4) loss to Meyha Sud, while senior Elyse Taylor fell to Evelyn Kramer by a 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-6) margin.

In the lower portion of the ladder, Amherst's Khushy Aggarwal defeated MHC's Sanjna Merchant in the sixth spot with a 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-8) victory. Lyons' junior Xianger Fei was tripped up in the seventh position with a 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-5) loss to Taryn Clary, while the Jeffs' Corri Johnson was a 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-0) victor over sophomore Catherine Ryan at eight.

In the nines, Amherst's Lena Rice grabbed a 3-0 (11-0, 11-3, 11-3) win over Anna Hartman, while in exhibition play, Issy Derber downed MHC's Amy Sanchez by a 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-9) score.

Both Mount Holyoke and Amherst are now idle until the CSA National Championships, which begin on February 21st at Princeton University.