AMHERST, Mass. - The Haverford College women's squash team gained valuable experience on the opening day of the Pioneer Valley Invitational but fell 9-0 to 19th-ranked Amherst College.

The young Fords (1-3) encountered a tough challenge in their first action of 2013 in having to face the veteran Jeffs (6-3) on their home court.

Playing at No. 3, sophomore Alex Love gave Amherst's Ericka Robertson all she could handle as Love claimed victory in game one by a score of 11-3. After Robertson tied the match with an 11-8 win in game two, Love made Robertson work for every point in game three before falling by a narrow margin, 12-10. Despite Love's best efforts, Robertson took the match with an 11-7 victory in game four.

Freshman Bethany Simmonds also had a strong showing in defeat as she battled Arielle Lehman, a second-team All-New England Small College Athletic Conference pick in 2012, throughout the three-set match.

Haverford, currently ranked 34th in the college squash team rankings, continues play in the Pioneer Valley Invitational on Saturday with a busy day of action. The Fords begin the day with a match against Northeastern University at 9 a.m. before taking on Wesleyan (Conn.) University at 1:30 p.m. and Wellesley College at 4 p.m.