Sisters Deiriai and Thandi continue to excel at Squash

Former national Squash players Deiriai and Thandi Myers are currently holding positions five and four, respectively, on the University of Toronto (UofT) Varsity Blues squash team. The 2018 – 2019 season ended on Sunday, February 10, 2019, with the staging of Squash Ontario’s premier event for squash supremacy among Ontario Universities. Last season’s runner-up, UofT Varsity Blues, had to settle for the third position this year, following another highly competitive season.

The season opened with 11 teams from Universities in the Canadian Province of Ontario competing in the Jester’s League. UofT Varsity Blues won eight of the 11 team matches played on four weekends between October 2018 and January 2019. They finished in the top spot on three of these outings. Deiriai completed the competition with nine wins from 11 matches, winning 28 of 34 games, while Thandi finished with six wins from six matches, winning all 18 games played. Thandi competed in only three of the four outings due to conflicting class schedule. Eighty six players participated in the female division of Jester’s League.

Seven teams advanced to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Squash Championships that was held at Niagara-on-the-Lake from February 8 – 10. UofT Varsity Blues triumphed over McMaster (5-2), Brock (6-1), Waterloo (6-1), Guelph (7-0) but lost to eventual winners Queens (0-7) and second place Western Ontario (2-5).

Deiriai was victorious in four of six matches, winning 14 of 20 games, including a nail-biting five-setter in a loss against University of Western Ontario, while Thandi was victorious in five of six matches, winning 15 of 20 games, with her only loss against Queens University. Fifty six players participated in the OUA Squash Championships, and based on their results, Deiriai and Thandi finished in position 12 and 10, respectively.

University of Toronto women squash team, Varsity Blues, consists of ten players trained and managed by a coaching staff of four.