Bajwa predicts that the key for the Crimson will be the play of sophomore Laura Delano, who did not compete during the stretch run last year.
“Losing those two matches to Trinity with Laura Delano wouldn’t have happened,” Bajwa said. “But she’s back. She’s in essence our ‘recruit,’ and she’s going to make the difference playing Yale and playing Trinity.”
Projected to play No. 5 or 6, Delano had difficulty getting into the rhythm of school and squash as a freshman and suffered physically as a result.
“I came from boarding school, and it was hard to settle down and focus,” Delano said. “I was getting sick a lot and hurt a lot. By the time I got better, I thought it was time to settle down and focus on studies and give myself a break to realize how much I missed squash. It was good to clear my mind.”
The addition of Delano—who cites finding an inner balance and working on her mental game as her goals for the season—to the middle of the lineup will be all the more important once Yale, who was shorthanded at the scrimmages, returns to full strength. The Yale match is not until Feb. 19, though Harvard will face the Elis in another scrimmage during reading period.
“Yale will definitely be our toughest competition in the Ivy League,” Hall said. “We have enough time to improve. I think if we keep up the good work, we can beat them.”
Bajwa also singled out Alexandra Johnson as a player to watch. Johnson played between No. 11 and 13 last year, but she has been competing with the fifth and sixth slotted players thus far this year.
“Alex Johnson and Laura Delano regrouping themselves as sophomores is going to be a great asset along with the four freshmen,” Bajwa said.
Putting Johnson and Delano in the mix with sophomores Hilary Thorndike, who went undefeated last season, and Stephanie Hendricks, the Crimson is faced with the welcome challenge of sorting out its ladder this year.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, who’s going to play where, which is a good situation to have,” Bajwa said. “We know that Louisa’s No. 1 and Lindsey’s 2, and then there’s a slight drop. But, that drop isn’t as big as it once was.”
The true test for Harvard’s success lies in the team’s ability to use its incredible wealth of young talent to compensate for the holes in its lineup left by last year’s seniors.
“If we can win the Ivies, we will contend for the national title as well,” Bajwa said. “We have very strong depth to do that. That is the beauty of the women’s team.”
The first test of this depth will come Friday night at 7 p.m. when Brown travels to the Barnaby Courts at the Murr Center.
—Staff writer Brenda E. Lee can be reached at belee@fas.harvard.edu.