Hall, who was able to handle the pressure of playing No. 1 for the national champions while still acclimating herself to life in Weld, feels as though pressure has been released.

"I feel like the focus has been the team all year, and we've succeeded," Hall said. "The pressure is off a little bit. I think if I'm mentally tough, I can do well."

Standing in Hall's way are the best players from the other three premier squash programs in the country. Penn's sophmore phenom Runa Reta is ranked third, Trinity freshman Amina Helal is No. 2, and Princeton junior Julia Beaver looks to defend her title as the top seed.

"Julia is definitely the one people are looking at," Elias said. "She has pulled out some incredible individual wins."

Hall, who has come up short against some of the top-ranked women during the season, feels as though the circumstances are different now that the team season has ended.

"I've played a full year and I don't think I'm so incredibly in awe of them as I was the first time around," Hall said. "They're incredible players, but they all have weaknesses."

Each competitor, like the men, will have to overcome the weakness of poor stamina. A challenging number of matches puts a premium on endurance.