While the Harvard men's squash team shoots for its sixth straight Ivy and national championships, the Harvard women's squash team is looking forward to capturing its second straight Ivy and national titles.

The Crimson opened the season with a 9-0 thumping of Bowdoin last week.

Women's Squash

1986-'87 Overall: 7-0

1986-'87 Ivy League: 5-0 (Ivy Champs)

Captains: Diana Edge, Lucy Miller

Harvard, Yale and Princeton are the early season favorites to win this year's crown. Since the Ivy championship was established in 1983, the Crimson has captured the title three times while the Elis have snagged the other two.

"We have the potential to repeat last year's performance," Harvard Co-Captain Diana Edge said. "We can be undefeated again, but I don't think we can rest on our laurels."

"Position for position we're just as good as any other team," Edge said. "We have to continue working hard as we can."

Since 1983, the racquetwomen have posted a 22-3 Ivy League record and an 29-3 mark overall. Last year, the team not only went undefeated in season play (7-0 overall, 5-0 Ivy), but also recorded four shutouts (over Bowdoin, Brown, Penn and Dartmouth)--and won 56 individual matches while dropping only seven.

"We want to win the national and Ivy championships," Sheila Morrissey said. "The team is a little weaker than last year, but we have a little more depth."

Harvard also won the Howe Cup Tournament held at Yale, capturing the seven-women national championship title for the third time since the honor was initiated in 1976.

The 1987-'88 Crimson is a young team. Co-Captains Edge and Lucy Miller are the only seniors on a squad which includes four sophomores--Jenny Holleran, Marianna Chilton, Mary Cist and Grace Sheffield--and junior Morrissey.

Frosh

Freshmen Daphine Onderdonk and Stephanie Clark have both cracked the starting ladder, playing sixth and seventh respectively.