Seven Straight, Then a Sweep: No. 1 Harvard Women’s Squash Dominates Ivy Stretch

Harvard women’s squash delivered a pair of emphatic performances across a pivotal Ivy League stretch, earning a road victory over a top-five opponent before returning home to dominantly secure a tournament berth. The No. 1 Crimson defeated No. 5 Trinity 7-2 in Hartford, Conn., to extend its unbeaten start, and followed the win with an assertive 9-0 sweep of No. 8 Yale at the Murr Center, clinching a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.

The weekend opened with one of the women’s toughest tests of the season. Facing Trinity (6-4) on the road, Harvard (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) encountered early resistance as the Bantams claimed the first two matches of the afternoon. Trinity earned wins at the fourth and eighth positions, briefly putting the Crimson on its back foot.

Senior Saran Nghiem steadied the match for Harvard. After dropping the first game on the third court, Nghiem immediately came out firing, recording a decisive 11-2 second game to secure a 3-1 victory and cut the deficit to one. Her performance halted Trinity’s momentum and set the stage for a decisive middle stretch.

From there, Harvard took control. Freshman Dixon Hill opened the second wave with a composed 3-0 win at the seventh position, and sophomore Caroline Fouts, who recently finished runner-up at the CSA Individual National Championship, followed with a 3-1 victory at the top of the ladder, pushing the Crimson to the brink of clinching. Freshman Ona Blasco Puig sealed the result at five, earning a four-game win to complete Harvard’s surge to victory.

The final wave underscored the Crimson’s deep roster. Jomana Ahmed and Lucie Stefanoni each delivered 3-1 wins at positions six and two, respectively, while senior Molly Stoltz closed the afternoon with a clean sweep at nine. After conceding the opening two matches, Harvard rattled off seven straight victories to leave Hartford with a 7-2 win and an unblemished record.

Back in Cambridge just days later, the Crimson showed no signs of letting up.

On Senior Day at the Murr Center, Harvard immediately overwhelmed Yale to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Sarita Popat, Nghiem, and Ocean Ma each secured straight-game wins at six, three, and four, respectively, to establish early control.

The second wave spurred the clinching point. Blasco Puig continued her strong season with a 3-0 win at five before Hill secured the match for Harvard with a 3-1 victory from the seventh slot. Fouts added another point at the first spot shortly after, further extending the margin.

Harvard closed the afternoon with three more wins, highlighted by senior Molly Stoltz’s 3-0 victory in her final home match. Stefanoni and Ahmed rounded out the shutout at two and six, completing a 9-0 shutout that confirmed the Crimson’s place in the Ivy League Tournament bracket.

Now 7-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, Harvard enters the latter half of the season with its familiar hallmarks firmly intact: balance across the roster, composure under pressure, and a blend of veteran leadership and emerging freshman talent. With road trips to Penn and Princeton on the horizon, the Crimson remain stably positioned as the team to beat in the Ivy League race.