SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- After graduating four of its top six players from a season ago, the Mount Holyoke College squash team is bound to look a bit different this season. But head coach Erin Robson believes that the Lyons can develop into a tough team to beat, with a good mix of veterans and newcomers.
Mount Holyoke will open the season Saturday at noon with a match at rival Smith College.
Junior standout Xaria Durocher (Boston, Mass.) will play at the top of the ladder for the Lyons, moving up from the No. 2 spot following the graduation of Mihiliya Kalahe Arachchige '22.
The Lyons have a strong looking class of first-year players, with two of them joining Durocher near the top of the lineup in Tina Mei (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Ku Paw (Hartford, Conn.).
A third first-year, Habiba Abouelatta of Alexandria, Egypt, and St. Timothy's School in Maryland, should be joining the team in January and could compete for the top spot.
"I'm really excited to see what [the first-year players] can bring to the team," said Robson, entering her 11th season as the team's head coach. "They've had some good coaching and competitive experience leading up to this. They have loads of potential."
A pair of seniors will captain the team and strengthen the middle of the lineup for Mount Holyoke, in Dnyaneshwari Haware (Mumbai, India) and Elba Barra Montgomery (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania). "I think we can build on their experience from last year. We're very lucky to have their leadership," said Robson of the captains.
Senior Janiqua Davis (New Haven, Conn.) and sophomores Kyla Core (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Paige Gershuny (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) help round out the lineup. The team will have some intriguing "walk-on" additions to the team also looking to crack the lineup, in senior Sally Philpott (Washington, D.C.) and sophomores Cydney Socias (Tampa, Fla.) and Olivia Van Vroenhoven (Tallahassee, Fla.).
"Once we have Habiba in January, that combination of young players with returners will be fun to watch," Robson summarized.
After the Smith match, Mount Holyoke plays Wellesley and Bard at Bard next Saturday before hosting Georgetown University in the home opener on Sunday, Nov. 20.
