The 13th-ranked Middlebury women's squash team has garnered the top seed in the Kurtz Cup (B Draw) at the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Team Championship. The three-day event begins on Friday at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, with the Panthers taking on NESCAC foe #20 Bates at 9:00 a.m. in quarterfinal action. 
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury comes into the CSA Championship weekend with a 13-4 overall record, including 10 victories against top-25 nationally-ranked teams.
• The Panthers rattled off a program-tying nine-match winning streak in January, highlighted by seven victories against ranked opponents. 
• The Panthers are making their 39th appearance at the championships since 1985, only missing the 2021 season due to the pandemic. 
• Middlebury has landed a spot in the Kurtz Cup for the 13th time and first time since 2020. 
• The Panthers made their 13th appearance in the NESCAC Semifinals last weekend.
• Middlebury won the Walker Cup last year, defeating Georgetown 6-3 in the championship match.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Lindsey Burnham joined the team midway through the season and has played nine matches in the top spot this year.
• The middle spots of the ladder have been solidified by Abby Holding, Margaux Comai and Eva Finney. Holding has tallied 10 wins this winter, mainly at #4, while Comai and Finney have split playing time in the fifth slot with 5-3 and 5-2 records, respectively. 
• The sixth spot has seen Maya Bardorf post a 9-1 record and a 13-4 overall mark during the year. 
• Madeline Schwarz and Mariana Reedich have each tallied impressive rookie seasons for Middlebury. Schwarz leads the team in wins (16-1) and is a perfect 9-0 at #8, while Reedich has amassed 15 victories (15-2) and is unbeaten in the seventh spot (9-0).
• Clementine Campbell and Kieran Suntha have each logged matches in the ninth position this winter for the Panthers, while Izzy Ronda has played at #1, #2 and #3.

ABOUT BATES

• Bates enters the tournament with a 6-10 record and a 3-7 mark in NESCAC play. 
• The Bobcats qualified for the conference tournament for the 16th time, falling in the quarterfinal round 6-3 to Tufts.
• Bates competed in the CSA Tournament for the first time in several years last season, playing in the Epps Cup. 

BOBCATS TO WATCH

• Playing primarily at #1, Andrea Martagon owns a 14-4 record this year, and comes into the competition having won six-straight matches. 
• Navya Gupta has held down the second slot for Bates, triumphing in five of their last six contests.
• Riding a five-match unbeaten streak into the NESCAC Tournament was #3 Aasya Patel.
• Sumairaa Suleman (#4) and Tia Billamoria (#5) have held down the middle of the ladder, while #6 Grace Flaherty is 7-2 over their last nine matches.
• Closing out the starting lineup for the Bobcats is Angelina Amastal, Danalee Valez and Hollis Hale who play primarily in the seventh, eighth and ninth spots, respectively.  

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Bates meet for the 53rd time, with the Panthers owning a 36-17 mark in the series.
• In the regular-season match in January, Middlebury came away with a decisive 8-1 triumph.
• The Panthers have claimed eight of the last 10 meetings with the Bobcats. 

ABOUT THE BRACKET

• The Kurtz Cup is the "B" bracket of the tournament, featuring teams that are nationally ranked #13 through #20. 
• This year, five of the eight squads hail from the NESCAC. 
• The other teams competing for the cup are #14 William Smith, #15 Georgetown,  #16 Williams, #17 Amherst, #18 Bowdoin and #19 Dickinson.
• Middlebury is 7-1 against opponents in the bracket this year, earning victories against the Red Devils, the Bobcats, the Ephs, the Herons, the Mammoths, and twice against the Polar Bears.
• The Panthers only loss came to the Hoyas back in early January. 

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO

• Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
• Venue: Arlen Specter US Squash Center
• CSA Championship Page