The 16th-ranked Middlebury women's squash team has garnered the fourth seed in the Kurtz Cup 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 #17/fifth-seeded Bowdoin at 9:00 a.m. in quarterfinal action. 

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury comes into the CSA Championship weekend at 9-8 overall with five triumphs against top-25 nationally-ranked teams.
• The Panthers had eight victories in nine tries earlier this season, with their lone loss coming to then- #13-ranked Georgetown.
• The squad makes its 40th appearance in the CSA Championships.
• Middlebury has earned a spot in the Kurtz Cup for the second-consecutive season and the 14th time overall. 
• The Panthers made the Kurtz Cup Semifinals in last year's championships, falling in a hard-fought 5-4 decision to conference foe Williams.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Lindsey Burnham has been the primary player at the top of the ladder this season, tallying seven victories.
• In her final season, Abby Holding has manufactured a 9-7 mark with eight triumphs at #2, while Sabrina Schwarz posted seven triumphs at the third slot. 
• Anavi Anand continues to impress in her rookie season, sitting second on the team in victories (10) and a 9-7 record in the fourth spot. 
• Izzy Ronda and Mariana Reedich are mainstays in the #5 and #6 positions. Ronda has six triumphs this year. Reedich has built off a strong rookie campaign, winning eight of her last 10 matches and amassing a team-best 13-3 mark and 10 of those victories have come at #6. 
• Madeline Schwarz, Lucy Ronda and Abbie Peterson have all seen action this winter. Schwarz is a winner of six of her last 10 and has a 4-4 mark at the seventh slot, while Ronda has tallied four victories across the #8 and #9 spots. Peterson is 8-8 heading into the championships.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin enters the weekend 10-5 overall and winners of its last two matches.
• The Polar Bears have made every CSA Championship held since the 1983-84 season with their best finish coming in 2003 where the program finished ninth and hoisted the Kurtz Cup trophy.

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Playing primarily at #1, Emma Watts-Roy has tallied six victories. 
• Amanda Cowhey has held the second spot with an 8-7 mark.
• In the #4 slot, Darcy Weber is 10-5 and victorious in three of her last five matches.
• The trio of Claire Collins (9-6), Amelie Matuch (12-3) and Linley Grosman (11-4) have had solid outputs this season from the #5, #6 and #7 spots, respectively. Matuch's 12 triumphs lead the Polar Bears. 
• Closing out the ladder are Kira Gwadry and Mira Karande. The duo has combined for an 18-11 mark.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Bowdoin meet for the 51st time, with the Panthers owning a 29-21 edge in the all-time series.
• The two squads squared off on January 18 with Middlebury claiming an 8-1 win in Maine.
• The Panthers have claimed the last four matchups by a combined 30-6 margin.
• Middlebury and Bowdoin have met nine times in the CSA Championships but have never competed against each other in the Kurtz Cup. 

ABOUT THE BRACKET

• The Kurtz Cup is the "B" bracket of the tournament, featuring teams that are nationally ranked #13 through #20. 
• Six of the eight teams in this year's bracket hail from the NESCAC.
• The squads competing for the Kurtz championship are #13 Amherst, #14 Williams, #15 Georgetown, #18 Dickinson, #19 Colby and #20 Bates.
• Middlebury is 4-4 against opponents in the bracket, tallying victories over the Bobcats, Polar Bears, Mules and Red Devils.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO

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