The Harvard women's squash team concluded its head-to-head schedule with a convincing 5-2 triumph over Middlebury Saturday in Middlebury, Vt.

The racquetwomen, who finished the season with an impressive 11-2 record, were riding back to Cambridge in a van when they heard the tragic news that teammate Cynthia Stanton, the number two player all year long, had died in a plane crash in New York.

It is difficult to find a more closely knit squad on campus, and the untimely death of the freshman star shrouds the team's very successful performance this season.

The Crimson's Becky Tung beat Middlebury's Helen Ladds in short order, prevailing, 3-0, allowing only 20 points in the number one battle.

Captain Jenny Stone also permitted just 20 points as she dispatched Karen Mayfield in the fourth spot.

Ellie Cunningham devastated adversary Ann Geary, sweeping to a 15-8, 15-5, 15-2 victory.

One of the Crimson's losses was a default, because freshman Courtney Stimpson could not make the trip.

Wendy Sonnabend, in the fourth slot, absorbed the other defeat, falling in four games to Lil Doubleday.

No Trouble

Second-ranked Nell Foreman and sixth-slotted Stefi Baum each registered solid performances, downing their opponents in three straight.

CRIMSON NICKS: The team will now go through the rituals of preparation for the national championships, which take place next weekend in Middletown, Conn. Only the top four racquetwomen will compete.

The team's only losses over the season in head-to-head play came at the hands of Princeton and Yale.