The Middlebury women's squash team recorded two home victories on Saturday to start the second semester. The 15th-ranked Panthers started the day with an 8-1 win over #18 Bowdoin. Middlebury continued its winning ways in the afternoon with a thrilling 5-4 triumph over #16 Bates. The Panthers (2-2) return to the court on Sunday when they host #26 Colby at 11:00 a.m.

In the victory over Bowdoin, the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three-game wins from Natasha Lowitt at #9 (11-3, 11-0, 11-3), Audrey Ellen in the sixth spot (11-2, 11-1, 11-6) and Lucy Bostwick at #8 (11-4, 11-6, 11-3). The Polar Bears tallied their lone point with a five-game win from Tully Ross in the third spot of the ladder.

The Panthers responded by winning the final five matches. Mira Chugh claimed a four-game win at #5 (11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9), while Caroline Jahrling at #7 (11-8, 11-1, 11-1), Anne Glassie in the second slot of the ladder (11-6, 11-7, 11-6) and Beatrijs Kuijpers at #1 (11-9, 11-3, 11-2) each recorded three-game victories. Liddy Renner closed the scoring with a marathon five-game win (7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 16-14), including a 16-14 score in the fifth for the 8-1 Panther win.

Against Bates, the two teams split the first pair of matches with a three-game victory from Lowitt at #9 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8), while Bates' Charlotte Cabot knotted the score at 1-1 with a three-game triumph in the sixth spot. The hosts three-game victories were tallied by the Panthers' Alexa Comai at #3 (11-5, 11-4, 11-9) and Bostwick at #8 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9), giving the hosts a 3-1 advantage.

Victories by the Bobcats at the #5 and #2 spots in the lineup tied the match at 3-3, but a three-game triumph by Renner at #4 (11-5, 11-7, 11-9), followed by a come-from-behind win in the seventh spot from Jahrling (8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7) gave the hosts the deciding fifth point. Bates earned a five-game win at the top of the ladder for the final 5-4 tally.