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Top-Ranked Women's Squash Knocks Off Three-Time Champ, Stands One Win Away From National Title
February 17, 2007 | Women's Squash
The No. 1 Princeton women's squash team picked up the first seven wins of the night to knock off the three-time national champion Yale Bulldogs and move into Sunday's Howe Cup national championship match. With a pair of 3-2 wins and several impressive 3-0 decisions, the 2007 Ivy League champion Tigers will now face the team it defeated to clinch that title, as No. 3 Harvard upset No. 2 Penn 6-3 to earn its place in the final.
Princeton defeated Harvard 7-2 last weekend, winning at No. 2 and sweeping every match from No. 4 to the bottom of the lineup. Three matches went to a fifth game, including two Princeton victories, so anything is possible Sunday. Considering the Crimson had also lost to Penn last weekend, Harvard will come into the national final brimming with confidence.
Of course, Princeton will do the same after moving to 10-0 on the season at the expense of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 national champions. Playing a three-round format, the Tigers picked up quick wins at No. 3 and No. 6 to go ahead 2-0. Freshman Amanda Siebert won 9-2, 9-5, 9-6 at No. 3, while junior Casey Riley grabbed a 9-7, 9-3, 9-7 win at No. 6.
Sophomore Maggie O'Toole was moved into the lineup at No. 9 because typical No. 8 Carly Grabowski was out with an illness. O'Toole trailed two games to one against Tara Wadhwa, but she came back with 9-5 and 9-2 victories to claim a 3-2 win and give Princeton a comfortable 3-0 edge.
That quickly grew to an insurmountable amount, as both Ali Pearson and Kaitlin Sennatt continued their dominant seasons. Pearson earned a 9-5, 9-6, 9-5 win at No. 5 over Kate Rapisarda, and Sennatt remained undefeated with a 9-4, 9-1, 9-2 victory over Jess Balderston at No. 8. Balderston was the hero in Yale's 5-4 quarterfinal win over Trinity, but Sennatt never let her into the match and combined with Pearson to clinch a spot in the national final.
Freshman Neha Kumar's calling card this season has been pulling out gutsy 3-2 victories at No. 2. Saturday was no exception against the talented Miranda Ranieri of Yale, who held a 2-1 edge on Kumar heading into the fourth game. The Tiger freshman bounced back with a 9-1 win in the fourth game and pulled out an impressive 9-5 victory in the finale.
Senior Marilla Hiltz gave Princeton its seventh win with a 7-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-0 victory at No. 7, while Yale picked up its two wins at No. 1 and No. 4 after the match had been decided.
Sunday's national final will be played on Yale's Courts 1-3, beginning at 2 p.m. Harvard won at the top five spots and at No. 7 against Penn.
PRINCETON 7, YALE 2
1 - Catherine McLeod (Y) d. Claire Rein-Weston 9-3, 9-3, 9-7
2 - Neha Kumar (P) d. Miranda Ranieri 9-3, 5-9, 7-9, 9-1, 9-5
3 - Amanda Siebert (P) d. Lauren McCrery 9-2, 9-5, 9-6
4 - Alia Aziz (Y) d. Gen Lessard 5-9, 9-10, 9-5, 9-3, 9-6
5 - Ali Pearson (P) d. Kate Rapisarda 9-5, 9-6, 9-5
6 - Casey Riley (P) d. Nicky Shiels 9-7, 9-3, 9-7
7 - Marilla Hiltz (P) d. Sara Barenbaum 7-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-0
8 - Kaitlin Sennatt (P) d. Jess Balderston 9-4, 9-1, 9-2
9 - Maggie O'Toole (P) d. Tara Wadhwa 9-6, 4-9, 2-9, 9-5, 9-2