Last year, Harvard women's squash Coach Steve Piltch thought he would make things interesting by sitting out his co-captains against Bowdoin. The Crimson dispatched the Polar Bears in less than 45 minutes.

This year, Piltch sat out one of his co-captains and four other starters--with a little different result. It took the defending national and Ivy League champion Crimson an hour to crush Bowdoin, 8-1, to open up its 1987-'88 regular season.

The victory extended Harvard's winning streak to eight games.

"We were hoping to have the best match possible," Piltch said, "It was a good opportunity for our younger players to get some experience under their belts."

Playing without co-captain and number-one player Diana Edge, number two Jenny Holleran, number four Marianna Chilton, and fellow starters Mary Cist and Grace Sheffield, the Crimson lost only three sets in the entire competition.

The Bowdoin contest has turned into an annual Thanksgiving feast for the racquetwomen.

Harvard now leads the series by a commanding 14-0 margin. The racquetwomen have captured 97 individual matches, while surrendering only 11.

"It was a good start for us." Piltch said.