Three-time All-NESCAC selection Luca Polgar captains the 2019-20 Bates women's squash team. The Bobcats open at Bowdoin on Nov. 15, 2019. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)

LEWISTON, Maine -- The first three years of Luca Polgar's squash career at Bates have been pretty consistent: all three seasons ended with team records ranging between 13-15 wins and 6-8 losses, a national team ranking between 15 and 17, and First Team All-NESCAC honors for Polgar.

But Polgar's (Budapest, Hungary) senior season promises a measure of change. She is now the team captain, and the only team member who has ever won all-conference honors. The Bates Squash Center's courts have undergone a renovation this year, in time for this Saturday's home opener against Vassar. The team's coach is no longer Pat Cosquer, who has moved on to coach at Hobart and William Smith, but former Trinity standout Reinhold Hergeth.

Bates graduated not only a pair of four-time All-NESCAC selections in Kristyna Alexova and Vicky Arjoon, but two others from last season's starting lineup as well, in Molly Brooks and Katie Bull. They'll be replaced mostly, if not all, in Bates' lineup this season by first-year players, of which there are five among the 12 players on the 2019-20 roster.

"It's been a great three years, and I'm really excited for this season," Polgar said on this week's Bates Bobcast podcast. "We have a really young team, and they're all eager to play. I'm really, really happy to be their captain this year. I'm amazed by how much energy they have, how much they want to do this."

Polgar leads a strong core of returners. Junior Maeve O'Brien (Essex, Conn.), who sports a 28-5 career record, figures to move up Bates' ladder from the fourth position, where she ended a year ago. Junior Katie Manternach (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is 26-12 through two years, having played at the 4 and 5 spots last season. Sophomore Natasha Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) went 15-3 at 5 and 6, and finished out her rookie campaign with 10 straight victories. Sophomore Natalie Bachman (New Canaan, Conn.) went 11-9 as a first-year playing mostly at No. 8.

Bates' first-year class comprises Cordelia Dotson (Houston, Texas), Victoria Haghighi (Bronx, N.Y.), Ella Lungstrum (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Lucy Moseley (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Erika Parker (San Salvador, El Salvador).

The Bobcats open the season at Bowdoin on Friday at 6pm, hoping to defeat their rivals for the sixth straight year. On Saturday they will host Vassar at 3pm. An extensive home schedule has the Bobcats playing eight home matches between Jan. 10 and Feb. 1.

Polgar is ready to do her part in making it a special season. "I just want to do the best that I can, for the team, for myself, to have my last year be the most successful year so far for the team and for myself."