Few team spots are as individual as squash. But ask the players in Harvard's highly successful squash program, and they'll be the first to argue that squash is the ultimate team sport.

"I felt so much that squash was a team sort and lacrosse an individual sport [at Harvard]," says Co-Captain Jenny Holleran, the 1990 individual women's national champion. "Squash was a wonderful community, the most supportive, wonderful place in my experience here."

That is the attitude that Harvard Coach Steve Piltch has striven to foster by overseeing the integration of the men's and women's teams into one program.

"It was a logical transition. Both teams had begun to work closer together over the previous four or five years," Piltch says. "It was natural. I think you'll see more colleges headed in that direction to best utilize their coaching talents."

And the move has been enthusiastically embraced by members of the two teams. Following the squads' banquets this spring--which were held separately--the captain s of the two squads requested that Piltch schedule a combined banquet next year.

"It was a good idea," Co-Captain Jim Masland says. "Before, the two teams were tight. Now, it just meant that we were on the court together more. There was more on-court camraderie with both programs."

"The squash team is one of the closest teams around," Holleran says. "The people really, really care about you."

Closer relations have done nothing to limit the teams' effectiveness and competitiveness. The nation's strongest squash program continued its dominance of the squash world again this past year, with the women capturing their third national championship in the last four years and the men just missing another national championship because of a 6 3 loss to Yale in February. Co-Captain Jon Bernheimer joined Holleran to give Harvard a sweep of the individual national championship last February.

"Steve tackled a really tough job," Fish says. "Despite the difficulties, he came one or two points shy of two national championship teams."

Success is nothing new for the Hemenway racqueteers. The men's teams have won 29 titles, including seven in the last decade. Since 1983, when women's champions were first crowned, Harvard has claimed four titles--including the three under Piltch's four-year reign.

Today's graduating class of seniors has won five national team championships and lost only three matches in four years. Holleran and Hope Nichols will graduate today having participate on a team that is 30-1 in four years of competition. Bernheimer and Masland were on a team that lost only two matches in four years--including last year's loss to Princeton, which snapped the team's 72-match winning streak.

Much of the success carries over from the legacies of Harvard's coaching legend, Harry Cowles, Jack Barnaby an Dave Fish.

Fish--who resigned last year to concentrate on the men's tennis team, which he also coached--and Barnaby closely involved with the program as associate coaches. Fish works with the men's team, and Barnaby coaches the women.

"We [the coaches] know that the program can't be anything until the players are a team," Fish says. "That's why it's important that the team sees us work well together."

Such support makes life a lot easier for Piltch.