NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After a long hiatus, the No. 8 Elis are excited to take the Brady Center court this Saturday at 1 p.m. to face No. 7 Virginia, looking to avenge a 5-4 loss to the Cavaliers during the 2020 national championship tournament. The Yale Men's Squash Team also takes on Western University on Sunday at noon. Both matches air live on Stretch Internet.
 
Lynn Leong, the Brooks G. Ragen Director of Squash at Yale, hopes to lead her team to success by prioritizing team unity. "Even though squash is very much an individual sport, I am looking to emphasize the importance of team unity," said Leong. "I love to see everyone buying into the concept of supporting and playing for each other." 
 
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has put much of our world on hold, including the past squash season, Leong said that it has allowed "the coaches and student-athletes the time to connect and bond outside the squash courts. The pandemic break has made us more hungry mentally." 
 
Leong, along with assistant coach and 17-year professional squash veteran Campbell Grayson, hopes to harness this hunger to lead the Elis to championships.
 
The Bulldogs are led by senior captain Harrison Gill. In the 2019-20 season, Gill won 11 of his 15 matches and was the last Yale player standing at the CSA Individual Championships.
 
"This season we are embracing the practice of uplifting each other in everything we do," said Gill on his approach to the upcoming season. "Each member of our team, from first year to senior, is pushing himself and eager to help his teammates in each practice and competition, which has created an atmosphere of support."
 
The 2021-22 season will not be without its challenges. "A welcome challenge for our team will be readjusting to the nerves and excitement of playing competitive matches," said Gill. "With more than half of our roster not having more than one year of college athletics experience, there will be a lot of new emotions before and during matches. I think we will be able to channel this energy well as we have engrained good habits this fall in our practice and the first-years and sophomores are extremely mature."
 
This weekend's matches will be Yale's first regular-season action since February of 2020.