Hartford, Conn. - The Trinity College Bantams won at the top-six spots on the ladder to defeat the visiting Columbia Lions, 6-3, in women's squash action this afternoon at Kellner Center.  Trinity, ranked No. 2 in the nation, improves to 6-0, while the No. 8-ranked Lions drop to 3-1.  Trinity entertains No. 3-ranked Princeton on Thursday at 1 p.m. in its next match.  Columbia visits Dartmouth on Saturday at noon.  

Trinity sophomore Akanksha Salunkhe (Vasco de Gama, India) gave the Bantams the first point with a 3-0 win at the No. 3 position, but Diana Masch did the same for the Lions at the bottom of the ladder.  Trinity junior Lakeesha Rarere (Hastings, New Zealand) outlasted Columbia sophomore Doria Chen (Wellesley, Mass.), 3-2, in the No. 6 position to make the score, 2-1, in the home team's favor after one wave. 

The second and third waves were similar with Trinity junior Salma Alam El Din (Cairo, Egypt) making her season debut after a semester abroad with a 3-0 win at the No. 2 position and rookie teammate Nadia Usenko (Kiev, Ukraine) sweeping the No. 5 match.  Pranjali Sharma and Julia Masch scored the final two Lion points, while Bantam sophomore Min Jie Teh (Klang, Malaysia) won, 3-0, at the top of the lineup and senior co-captain Jenny Haley (Newport, Wales) toughed out a 3-2 triumph at the No. 3 spot to close out the contest.

MATCH RESULTS
1. TC- Min Jie Teh d. Maddie O'Connor: 11-3.11-3,11-4
2. TC- Salma Alam El Dim d. Nicole Kendall: 11-5, 11-5, 11-6
3. TC- Akanksha Salunkhe d. Jui Kalgutkar: 11-8, 11-5, 11-7
4. TC- Jenny Haley d. Vedika Arunachalam: 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9
5. TC- Nadia Usenko d. Jane Pincus: 12-14, 11-5, 11-7
6. TC- Lakeesha Rarere d. Doria Chen: 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6
7. C- Julia Masch d. Amina Taher: 4-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-4
8. C- Pranjali Sharma d. Campbell Brown: 11-4, 11-4, 11-4
9. C - Diana Masch d. Margaret Lineberger: 11-1, 11-1, 11-5
Trinity (Conn.) 6, Columbia 3