Thursday, January 11
Princeton, N.J.
1:00 PM
Princeton University
5
vs
4
Trinity
Comeback Complete! 3rd-Ranked Tigers Rally From 4-1 Down To Defeat #2 Trinity In Jadwin Thriller
January 11, 2018 | Women's Squash
Down 4-1 to the second-ranked team in the nation, the third-ranked Princeton Tigers turned to their upperclassmen to bring them home, and then buckled in for an absolute thrill ride. Over the span of a dramatic hour, the Tigers clawed their way out of a deep hole, and then finally broke through for the biggest win of the year.
Fittingly, it was the racket of three-time All-American Olivia Fiechter that finished the job. One year after an injury-riddled Fiechter lost back-to-back matches to Trinity standout Raneem Sharaf, the Tiger co-captain put together one of her most complete performances in a 3-1 victory. Moments after her win (see the video below), her teammates stormed Court 1 and told a stunned Fiechter that her victory was Princeton's fifth of the day, and it gave the team its biggest win since 2013.
Princeton improved to 7-0 with the win, and enters this weekend's Ivy League openers against both Brown (Saturday, 12) and Yale (Sunday, 12) with as much momentum as it has had in years.
Trinity grabbed a 2-1 lead after the first shift, though Tiger sophomore Madison Soukup kept Princeton in the hunt with a tough four-game win over Salma El Defrawy at the No. 9 spot. After dropping a 14-12 score in the second, Soukup improved to 7-0 on the season with wins of 11-7 and 11-6.
Princeton freshmen Grace Doyle and Emme Leonard dropped their matches, though Leonard nearly pulled off a major comeback in her match at No. 6. Trailing 2-0, Leonard pulled off wins of 11-4 and 11-5 to get to a fifth, but Jennifer Haley held on for a 3-2 win.
Trinity carried that momentum into the second shift, winning 3-0 at the No. 5 spot and then getting an exciting comeback win at the No. 2 spot to open a 4-1 lead. Princeton freshman Raneem El Torky impressed the Court 1 crowd by getting a 2-1 lead, but Trinity veteran Julia Le Coq battled back in the final two games to get the five-game win.
With no margin for error remaining, Princeton junior Isabel Hirshberg got the comeback started with wins of 11-1 and 11-5 in the last two games for a 3-1 win at No. 8. Senior co-captain Kira Keating also split her first two games at No. 7, but she took total control of the final two games to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Junior Samantha Chai bounced back from a tough first game to open a 2-1 lead at No. 4, and after a tough fourth game, she used her relentless ability to keep points alive to fight off Lakeesha Rarere for an 11-4 win. The point below is an example of Chai's play in the fifth, and it was this type of point that got Princeton within one victory of the team win.
Fittingly, it came down to Fiechter, the senior who has held the No. 1 spot since she arrived at Princeton, but hasn't been able to show all of her abilities due to injuries over the last two years. She's been at her best during her senior season — she carried a 6-0 record into the match — and fought off a very tough opponent in Raneem Sharaf to claim an 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 victory. Fiechter shared some thoughts after the match, which you can see below the individual scores.
Both of Princeton's Ivy matches this weekend will be streamed on the Ivy League Network.
PRINCETON 5, TRINITY 4
1 – Olivia Fiechter (P) d. Raneem Sharaf 8, 5, (7), 8
2 – Julia Le Coq (T) d. Raneem El Torky (4), 8, (7), 8, 5
3 – Salma Alam Eldin (T) d. Grace Doyle 5, 3, 4
4 – Samantha Chai (P) d. Lakeesha Rarere (4), 4, 6, (4), 4
5 – Min Jie Teh (T) d. Morgan Steelman 3, 3, 3
6 – Jennifer Haley (T) d. Emme Leonard 2, 11, (4), (5), 5
7 – Kira Keating (P) d. Akanksha Salunksha 9, (7), 1, 5
8 – Isabel Hirshberg (P) d. Karolina Holinkova 9, (7), 1, 5
9 – Madison Soukup (P) d. Salma El Defrawy 5, (12), 7, 6
Fittingly, it was the racket of three-time All-American Olivia Fiechter that finished the job. One year after an injury-riddled Fiechter lost back-to-back matches to Trinity standout Raneem Sharaf, the Tiger co-captain put together one of her most complete performances in a 3-1 victory. Moments after her win (see the video below), her teammates stormed Court 1 and told a stunned Fiechter that her victory was Princeton's fifth of the day, and it gave the team its biggest win since 2013.
What a comeback! Down 4-2, the 3rd-ranked @TigerSquash1 rallies past Trinity for the HUGE win. This is match ball by #1 senior Olivia Fiechter! pic.twitter.com/MQv3vaDhhW
— Princeton Tigers (@PUTIGERS) January 11, 2018
Princeton improved to 7-0 with the win, and enters this weekend's Ivy League openers against both Brown (Saturday, 12) and Yale (Sunday, 12) with as much momentum as it has had in years.
Trinity grabbed a 2-1 lead after the first shift, though Tiger sophomore Madison Soukup kept Princeton in the hunt with a tough four-game win over Salma El Defrawy at the No. 9 spot. After dropping a 14-12 score in the second, Soukup improved to 7-0 on the season with wins of 11-7 and 11-6.
Princeton freshmen Grace Doyle and Emme Leonard dropped their matches, though Leonard nearly pulled off a major comeback in her match at No. 6. Trailing 2-0, Leonard pulled off wins of 11-4 and 11-5 to get to a fifth, but Jennifer Haley held on for a 3-2 win.
Trinity carried that momentum into the second shift, winning 3-0 at the No. 5 spot and then getting an exciting comeback win at the No. 2 spot to open a 4-1 lead. Princeton freshman Raneem El Torky impressed the Court 1 crowd by getting a 2-1 lead, but Trinity veteran Julia Le Coq battled back in the final two games to get the five-game win.With no margin for error remaining, Princeton junior Isabel Hirshberg got the comeback started with wins of 11-1 and 11-5 in the last two games for a 3-1 win at No. 8. Senior co-captain Kira Keating also split her first two games at No. 7, but she took total control of the final two games to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Junior Samantha Chai bounced back from a tough first game to open a 2-1 lead at No. 4, and after a tough fourth game, she used her relentless ability to keep points alive to fight off Lakeesha Rarere for an 11-4 win. The point below is an example of Chai's play in the fifth, and it was this type of point that got Princeton within one victory of the team win.
Samantha Chai with the incredible rally to earn a match ball in her win at #4. This one evened the match at 4-4 and set up the clincher for Olivia Fiechter! pic.twitter.com/tjvVmJldEv
— Gail Ramsay (@TigerSquash1) January 11, 2018
Fittingly, it came down to Fiechter, the senior who has held the No. 1 spot since she arrived at Princeton, but hasn't been able to show all of her abilities due to injuries over the last two years. She's been at her best during her senior season — she carried a 6-0 record into the match — and fought off a very tough opponent in Raneem Sharaf to claim an 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 victory. Fiechter shared some thoughts after the match, which you can see below the individual scores.
Both of Princeton's Ivy matches this weekend will be streamed on the Ivy League Network.
PRINCETON 5, TRINITY 4
1 – Olivia Fiechter (P) d. Raneem Sharaf 8, 5, (7), 8
2 – Julia Le Coq (T) d. Raneem El Torky (4), 8, (7), 8, 5
3 – Salma Alam Eldin (T) d. Grace Doyle 5, 3, 4
4 – Samantha Chai (P) d. Lakeesha Rarere (4), 4, 6, (4), 4
5 – Min Jie Teh (T) d. Morgan Steelman 3, 3, 3
6 – Jennifer Haley (T) d. Emme Leonard 2, 11, (4), (5), 5
7 – Kira Keating (P) d. Akanksha Salunksha 9, (7), 1, 5
8 – Isabel Hirshberg (P) d. Karolina Holinkova 9, (7), 1, 5
9 – Madison Soukup (P) d. Salma El Defrawy 5, (12), 7, 6
Senior co-captain and All-American Olivia Fiechter talks after the thrilling 5-4 win over #2 Trinity. pic.twitter.com/oJIuRnvzt5
— Gail Ramsay (@TigerSquash1) January 11, 2018
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
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