USA Women's Team Preview
Sept 25, 2004, Rob Dinerman; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;

TAKE # 10 SEEDING INTO AMSTERDAM EVENT

Latasha Khan Leads the USA Team (photo © 2004 Debra Tessier)

-Fresh off their gold-medal performance in the Pan American Federation Cup in Mexico this past summer and determined to take advantage of the No. 10 seeding that accomplishment earned them, the members of the U. S. women's team will fly this Thursday to Amsterdam to compete in the 2004 World Team Championships. The biennial event that will run from September 26th through October 2nd.

Coached by former USA International Demer Holleran, this year's squad consists of five-time and current National Champion Latasha Khan, presently ranked No. 21 on the WISPA professional circuit and winner last month of the Global Diamond Classic, Pan Am Fed individual silver medalist Meredeth Quick, four-time first-team Harvard all-American Louisa Hall and 2004 Intercollegiate Individual champion Michelle Quibell, a junior at Yale. Quick, Hall and Quibell all contributed to the victorious effort three months ago in Tepic, as did U. S. under-19 champion Lily Lorentzen.

Khan is at the top of her game right now, and Quick reversed her Pan Am Fed Individual final-round loss to Samantha Teran when the two had a rematch in the U. S. vs. Mexico team final. Hall sustained a severe ankle injury early in that tournament which caused her to default her Individual semi-final and limited her availability in the team event that followed, but she recently shed the ankle brace she had been wearing and has fully regained the mobility that has always been an integral part of her formidable game. Quibell has been somewhat constrained in recent weeks with a lingering hamstring injury, but is cautiously optimistic that she will be good to go by this weekend.

There has been great excitement in anticipation of this tournament in the Netherlands, which has never placed higher than fourth (in 1992) but is seeded third, behind (in order) Australia, the defending champion, and England, two countries that have met 10 times in the final round of this tourney since 1981. The 14th edition of this competition, hosted at the Frans Otten Stadion, featured 20 team entries, divided into four five-team round-robin pools, with each pool producing two teams that will play in the quarter-finals September 30th, with the semi-finals set for October 1st and the final on October 2nd.

However just in the last few days, Somalia, which was slated to make its debut in this tournament and had been assigned to Pool D, was forced to withdraw when the team members were unable to obtain visas.

Seven-time champion Australia will be paced by the Grinham sisters, Rachael, the current World No. 1 and British Open champion, and Natalie, while five-time titlist England, which won this event when it was last held in the Netherlands in 1989, is led by World No. 2 Cassie Campion. Vanessa Atkinson, currently ranked No. 3, will carry the hopes of the host country. The British entry is seeded to win Pool B, which includes Scotland, seeded seventh, the United States (10), Hong Kong (15) and Japan (18).

The Americans have to play the heavily favored England team first, but their defining round-robin match will likely occur several days later when they go up against Scotland.

Martin Bronstein will be in Amsterdam and Squashtalk will provide daily updates throughout the championships as soon as they commence this Sunday.

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