2011-12 Season Outlook

Haverford College's women's squash team is looking forward to the 2011-12 season with a renewed vigor under second-year head coach Niki Clement.

The Fords' upper class players are eager to pick up where they left off last season after experiencing individual and team progress over the course of the 2010-11 season. The enthusiasm carried into the new year has already rubbed off on the under classmen.

Captains Randee Johnson and Roxanne Jaffe are bringing a new confidence to this year's group, as well as high expectations, beginning with the opening match against the visiting Dragons and followed by match-ups against Smith, Wellesley and Vassar. Later in the first semester, the Fords will square off against highly-rated opponents from the Ivy League in Yale and Penn.

Along with Johnson and Jaffe, the team includes seasoned veterans Kira Jones, Kate Mundell, Zoe Becker and Katherine Pryor, who have been leading already-improving newcomers Alisa Strayer, Caroline Nightingale, Hannah Miller, Miriam Fuchs and Alex Love.

Also the head coach of the men's program, Clement expects the ladder to continually change throughout the season. "So many of our players will experience consistent improvement as we roll through the season," explains Clement, "and this will alter the order of our competition ladder quite often."

Clement is looking forward to solid improvement during the first semester of the schedule and expects those results to instill greater confidence as the Fords stride into the second half of the schedule in 2012.

"Our first-semester opponents will be challenging," adds Clement, "but the second half of our season also includes many impressive match-ups and I believe the growth of our players from the early going will propel them into fearless performances against Columbia and Georgetown, and at the Pioneer Valley Invitational where we will see a number of nationally-ranked teams."

The season-ending Howe Cup will provide an opportunity for Clements' players to surprise more than just a few teams as the Fords look to bring home a number of well-earned victories from the tournament hosted by Harvard University.

2010-11 Season Review

Signature Wins: With a number of players new to squash, the Fords blossomed under first-year head coach Niki Clement. The steady progression of her squad came to fruition when Haverford defeated Vanderbilt in the second round of the E Division at the Howe Cup. The win avenged a loss to Vanderbilt earlier in February by the same score.   

Season Notes: Alisa Strayer led Haverford with four wins on the season. Caroline Nightingale and Kara Percival both finished with three wins. Nightingale took on the tough task of playing at the No. 1 position as a freshman.

Looking Ahead: The Fords return 11 players for the 2011-12 season.  With more seasoning and experience at the collegiate level, Haverford will expect improved results across the board next season.