This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: April 15, 2017

A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote to Caroline Monrad that was actually from Kayley Leonard.

The squash courts usually have a reserved air, with cordial applause after fine rallies and shouts of encouragement given meaningfully. But with No. 3 Trinity visiting Cambridge, a large contingent of supporters came out in rowdy fashion to watch the annual marquee matchup.

The atmosphere was tense Wednesday afternoon at the Murr Center as No. 1 Harvard (9-0, 5-0 Ivy) took on the Bantams (13-2), its rival from Hartford, Conn.

In collegiate squash, the skill level of teams drops off appreciably after the top-ranked squads. The Crimson had not faced a comparable opponent since its Jan. 14 win against Penn. Trinity’s 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Quakers was, not coincidentally, its only loss of the season.

Coming off a weekend sweep against top-10 ranked Ivy League opponents Cornell and Columbia, the last two victims of the Crimson’s undefeated start, the Harvard women had momentum. Their winning streak continued on Wednesday, as the Crimson coasted to an 8-1 final decision over the Bantams.

The Crimson was the victim of a slow start, as Harvard dropped its first game in all three of the ongoing matches.

Especially frazzled was No. 3 sophomore Kayley Leonard, in the midst of a slow and deliberate technical face-off. Her opponent, freshman Vanessa Raj, converted drop shot after drop shot to counter Leonard’s equally methodical style.

Nerves were further frayed by a multitude of interference appeals going to the referee, and more often than not leading to let calls.

“So I lost the first game, and I was a little mentally out of it,” Leonard said. “But out of the first game I kind of refigured my strategy for the match. I’m not used to playing a squash player with a similar game as me, so we both had a very slow lob, drop kind of game.”

The second set was better for Leonard, who strung together point after winning point. The same happened for teammates No. 9 freshman Eleonore Evans and No. 6 senior Katherine Tutrone, who were playing adjacent to her.

The rust eventually wore off and the Crimson matched the intensity and technique of the upset-hungry Bantams. To adjust to a less aggressive opponent, Leonard played more straight balls and avoided taking rallies cross-court that made finesse shots easier to convert.

These sorts of adjustments catalyzed the first round of players to all sweep their next three games and put Harvard up the maximum after three matches, priming them to clinch the win.

The Crimson’s performance was almost predictable. It had a rough start because of recent lackluster competition. Because of mental toughness, it was able to bounce back.