The Hobart College squash team will open the 2009-10 season this weekend, Nov. 14-15, when the Statesmen travel to Annapolis, Md., to compete in the Navy Round Robin. Hobart Head Coach Carol Weymuller welcomes six newcomers to her deep veteran squad of 18.

The Statesmen will have some holes to fill in their line up, due to the graduation of Cale Forgues '09 and Peter Hansen '09. Forgues was one of the top players on the team for the past four years, while Hansen closed out his career as the No. 4 player.

Junior Luke Esselen, sophomore Corey Kabot, and junior Grant Palermo will help to alleviate the losses. Last winter, Esselen played 16 matches at No. 3, posting a 7-9 record, while Kabot played 11 matches at No. 4 (3-8), and ended the season at No. 2 (1-4). Palermo competed at No. 4 (2-1) as well, but the majority of his time was spent in the No. 5 spot (4-9). Currently, Kabot is slated to play in the top spot, followed by Esselen at No. 2 and Palermo at No. 3.

Sophomore George Riggs, junior Carl Ranieri, senior Dane Evans, and sophomore transfer Rob Steidle will step into spots four through seven. Riggs and Ranieri have both made great strides in the offseason, which has moved them both up the line. Last year, Riggs earned a 7-4 record, going 3-1 in the eighth spot and 4-2 in the ninth, while Ranieri posted a 6-2 record, including a 4-2 mark at No. 9. Evans, who rejoined the team after taking his junior year off, has looked strong in preseason and will jump into the mix at No. 6, and Steidle will get the starting nod at No. 7.

Co-captains senior Alex Khaddar and senior Craig Chircop will round out the line up in the eight and ninth slots, respectively. Khaddar notched an 8-7 record last season, playing Nos. 5-8, and Chircop shared the team lead in wins with nine. He earned a 4-5 mark at No. 6 and a 5-2 record at No.7.

Sophomore Kevin Kent (9-10) also posted a team-high nine victories last season, splitting time at No. 6 and No. 7. He'll look to get back in the line up in January, after fully rehabbing a shoulder injury.

First-year Edgardo Gonzalez, first-year Julian Snider, sophomore Grant Bercari, and sophomore Will Stephens add depth to the line up. They are all close to breaking into the top-9.

At the Navy Round Robin, the Statesmen will take on Denison (11 a.m.) and Stanford (4 p.m.) on Nov. 14, before squaring off against Navy (9 a.m.) and George Washington (11:30 a.m.) on Nov. 15.