The 15th-ranked Middlebury women's squash team slipped past host Bates on Friday evening by a 5-4 score in the Bates Squash Center. The Panthers (4-2) return to action on Saturday when they stay in Maine for a 10:00 a.m. match at #22 Colby, followed by a 3:00 p.m. contest at Bowdoin.

In Friday's matchup with the Bobcats (2-3), the hosts grabbed an early lead with a win at #3. Lily Bogle knotted the match at 1-1 with a 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2 victory over Katie Bull in the ninth spot. Bates regained a narrow edge with a three-game triumph in the sixth slot. Mira Chugh brought the match to 2-2 with a three-game win at #8 (11-1, 11-3, 11-2).

The Bobcats pulled ahead via a three-game win in the second slot, but Emily Beinkampen made it 3-3 with an 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 win over Molly Brooks at #7. The back-and-forth match saw Natalie Madden give the Panthers a lead for the first time with an 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 12-10 victory over Katie Manternach in the middle of the ladder.

Bates evened the score at 4-4 with a three-game victory at #1, but Anne Glassie earned the decisive fifth team point with an 11-7, 13-11, 11-8 win against Maeve O'Brien at #4.