The No. 1-ranked Harvard women's squash team (2-0) did not fail to impress last Friday, defeating No. 6 Stanford (1-1) and No. 9 Williams (1-2) to open its season with a 2-0 record.

Noticeably absent from the line-up were co-captain Cece Cortes and junior and 2010 CSA National Champion Laura Gemmell. Rookie Amanda Sobhy, the 2010 Junior Worlds Champion, was also absent.

But new blood mixed in with a solid group of returners to lift Harvard to victory.

Against the Cardinal, co-captain Nirasha Guruge, freshman Haley Mendez, and junior Natasha Kingshott each felled her opponent in straight frames en route to the Crimson’s 6-3 win. Junior Sarah Mumanachit, freshman Julie Chu, and junior Eliza Calihan also won their matches, 3-1.

Harvard had even better results against the Ephs—each player won in 3 games as the Crimson swept Williams, 9-0.

Junior Vidya Rajan, sophomore Natasha Anzik, and freshman Yuleissy Ramirez also notched 3-0 scores, thereby preventing the Ephs from winning a single game.

-Check thecrimson.com for updates.