Princeton University Athletics
Sunday, February 24
Princeton, N.J.
2 p.m.
Princeton University
6
vs
3
Penn - Championship
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
/ Women's Squash
Women's Squash Repeats As National Champions With 6-3 Win Over Top-Seeded Penn
February 24, 2008 | Women's Squash
It was only one year ago when the Princeton women's squash team entered the Howe Cup national championships as such an overwhelming favorite that anything short of a title would have been disastrous. Of course, those were the days when Maggie O'Toole was cheering from the stands and Emery Maine was focused on lacrosse practice.
One year later, plenty had changed. There was, however, one constant. For the second straight season, the final match ? and the accompanying title ? would belong to the Orange and Black.
The 2007-08 Tigers navigated one of the deepest fields in recent history to reach the national final, where they ran into the unbeaten and top-ranked Penn Quakers. Penn, which knocked off Princeton 5-4 in Philadelphia during the regular season, fought a valiant battle, but the Tigers' depth was too great in a 6-3 championship victory in the friendly confines of the Jadwin Squash Courts. The win gives Princeton either a team or individual national champion for the 22nd straight year.
“We said that this is even more exciting than last year because we were the underdog,” said senior tri-captain Casey Riley, a heroic figure while the Tigers were on the wrong end of a 2-1 score. “We had great fan support with huge crowds today. I couldn't think of a better way to end my career.”
The early momentum belonged to Penn, which claimed two of the first three matches to hold a 2-1 lead after the first of three stages. Penn's No. 9, Lauralynn Drury, rallied from an early deficit in the first game and controlled the action in a 3-0 win over Margaret Kent. That 1-0 lead was quickly erased when Princeton's Kaitlin Sennatt closed out a 9-4, 9-6, 9-7 win of her own. Sennatt, in six Howe Cup matches, is undefeated and has won 18 of 19 games.
The Quakers reclaimed the lead when Sydney Scott finished a 9-0, 9-7, 9-0 win over Princeton freshman Jackie Moss. The Tiger had her only openings in the middle game, but the experienced Scott picked up the big points to control the game and the match momentum.
With uneasy feelings among the Princeton faithful, the middle stage began. Those uneasy feelings would be taken care of quickly. Riley, who has overcome several injuries throughout her career, dominated in a 9-1, 9-3, 9-4 victory over Britt Hebden.
On the next court, O'Toole was putting on one of the best performances of her career. On a senior-laden 2006-07 team, O'Toole spent much of the season waiting for her opportunity. She took advantage in a big way, topping Emily Goodwin 9-3, 9-7, 9-4 at No. 8 to give Princeton its first team lead of the day.
“I think Maggie had been struggling a bit with confidence” head coach Gail Ramsay said after celebrating her fourth and the team's 16th Howe Cup championship. “She just needed to find her strengths, and she made some good choices on the court. I believed in her and was so happy to see how she played today.”
That left the No. 2 match between Princeton's Neha Kumar and Penn's Alisha Turner as a critical one. Turner had defeated Kumar, who spent much of the season recuperating from an ankle injury, 3-0 during the regular season. Turner had the early momentum while Kumar struggled to find her game. Trailing 7-3 in the opener, Kumar began to find the front corners with her drop shots and used them to control the flow of the points.
She would make a run to win the first game 9-7 and added a 9-6 win in the second. She got her eighth point and match ball early in the third, but the gutsy Turner battled back to even the score at 8. Kumar got the serve back, won two more points and moved Princeton to within one match of the championship.
“I tried to twist her around and keep her moving,” Kumar said. “She fought hard in that third game, and I knew I had to close her out there.”
Princeton needed one more win, and senior Carly Grabowski had championship ball in the third game at No. 7. Penn's Annie Madeira fought one off, then another, and pulled out a 10-8 win to move two games to one down. There was one last opening for Penn, who had beaten Princeton at the No. 1 and 4 spots during the regular season.
Maine closed it.
A top junior player, Maine came to Princeton to play women's lacrosse. She knew most of the Princeton squash players already and found herself missing the sport as she watched last season. She called up Ramsay and asked if she could try out for the team, and after taking some time to shake off the rust, Maine found herself playing No. 4. It's a tough position in a three-round format because it is one of the final matches to be played, and she had suffered gut-wrenching defeats in 5-4 losses at Penn and Trinity.
“At the time, those were discouraging results, but I said if I'm in the same boat again, it will be different,” she said. “I knew I needed to keep her moving around, and I knew I could stay out there all day. I've never been so happy after a match.”
Hers would be the decisive one. After splitting a pair of 9-5 games, Maine won 18 of 19 points to close the match and the season 9-5, 5-9, 9-1, 9-0. The final two matches would be split; Penn's Kristen Lange topped Amanda Siebert 3-0 at No. 1, and Grabowski regained her form in time to win 9-2, 9-2, 9-10, 3-9, 9-7 in the match of the day.
Afterwards, the joy amongst the players and coaches was evident as they celebrated a second straight championship. Between hugs and photos, the players picked up their championship trophies and enjoyed the final moments of a 2007-08 season. Sure, it might not have been exactly the same as the perfect one last year.
But the ending just might have been a little better.
PRINCETON 6, PENN 3
1 ? Kristen Lange (Pe) d. Amanda Siebert 2, 7, 0
2 ? Neha Kumar (Pr) d. Alisha Turner 7, 6, 10-8
3 ? Sydney Scott (Pe) d. Jackie Moss 0, 7, 0
4 ? Emery Maine (Pr) d. Tara Chawla 5, (5), 1, 0
5 ? Casey Riley (Pr) d. Britt Hebden 1, 3, 4
6 ? Kaitlin Sennatt (Pr) d. Christina Matthias 4, 6, 7
7 ? Carly Grabowski (Pr) d. Annie Madeira 2, 2, (9-10), (3), 7
8 ? Maggie O'Toole (Pr) d. Emily Goodwin 3, 7, 4
9 ? Lauralynn Drury (Pe) d. Margaret Kent 5, 2, 2
One year later, plenty had changed. There was, however, one constant. For the second straight season, the final match ? and the accompanying title ? would belong to the Orange and Black.
The 2007-08 Tigers navigated one of the deepest fields in recent history to reach the national final, where they ran into the unbeaten and top-ranked Penn Quakers. Penn, which knocked off Princeton 5-4 in Philadelphia during the regular season, fought a valiant battle, but the Tigers' depth was too great in a 6-3 championship victory in the friendly confines of the Jadwin Squash Courts. The win gives Princeton either a team or individual national champion for the 22nd straight year.
“We said that this is even more exciting than last year because we were the underdog,” said senior tri-captain Casey Riley, a heroic figure while the Tigers were on the wrong end of a 2-1 score. “We had great fan support with huge crowds today. I couldn't think of a better way to end my career.”
The early momentum belonged to Penn, which claimed two of the first three matches to hold a 2-1 lead after the first of three stages. Penn's No. 9, Lauralynn Drury, rallied from an early deficit in the first game and controlled the action in a 3-0 win over Margaret Kent. That 1-0 lead was quickly erased when Princeton's Kaitlin Sennatt closed out a 9-4, 9-6, 9-7 win of her own. Sennatt, in six Howe Cup matches, is undefeated and has won 18 of 19 games.
The Quakers reclaimed the lead when Sydney Scott finished a 9-0, 9-7, 9-0 win over Princeton freshman Jackie Moss. The Tiger had her only openings in the middle game, but the experienced Scott picked up the big points to control the game and the match momentum.
With uneasy feelings among the Princeton faithful, the middle stage began. Those uneasy feelings would be taken care of quickly. Riley, who has overcome several injuries throughout her career, dominated in a 9-1, 9-3, 9-4 victory over Britt Hebden.
On the next court, O'Toole was putting on one of the best performances of her career. On a senior-laden 2006-07 team, O'Toole spent much of the season waiting for her opportunity. She took advantage in a big way, topping Emily Goodwin 9-3, 9-7, 9-4 at No. 8 to give Princeton its first team lead of the day.
“I think Maggie had been struggling a bit with confidence” head coach Gail Ramsay said after celebrating her fourth and the team's 16th Howe Cup championship. “She just needed to find her strengths, and she made some good choices on the court. I believed in her and was so happy to see how she played today.”
That left the No. 2 match between Princeton's Neha Kumar and Penn's Alisha Turner as a critical one. Turner had defeated Kumar, who spent much of the season recuperating from an ankle injury, 3-0 during the regular season. Turner had the early momentum while Kumar struggled to find her game. Trailing 7-3 in the opener, Kumar began to find the front corners with her drop shots and used them to control the flow of the points.
She would make a run to win the first game 9-7 and added a 9-6 win in the second. She got her eighth point and match ball early in the third, but the gutsy Turner battled back to even the score at 8. Kumar got the serve back, won two more points and moved Princeton to within one match of the championship.
“I tried to twist her around and keep her moving,” Kumar said. “She fought hard in that third game, and I knew I had to close her out there.”
Princeton needed one more win, and senior Carly Grabowski had championship ball in the third game at No. 7. Penn's Annie Madeira fought one off, then another, and pulled out a 10-8 win to move two games to one down. There was one last opening for Penn, who had beaten Princeton at the No. 1 and 4 spots during the regular season.
Maine closed it.
A top junior player, Maine came to Princeton to play women's lacrosse. She knew most of the Princeton squash players already and found herself missing the sport as she watched last season. She called up Ramsay and asked if she could try out for the team, and after taking some time to shake off the rust, Maine found herself playing No. 4. It's a tough position in a three-round format because it is one of the final matches to be played, and she had suffered gut-wrenching defeats in 5-4 losses at Penn and Trinity.
“At the time, those were discouraging results, but I said if I'm in the same boat again, it will be different,” she said. “I knew I needed to keep her moving around, and I knew I could stay out there all day. I've never been so happy after a match.”
Hers would be the decisive one. After splitting a pair of 9-5 games, Maine won 18 of 19 points to close the match and the season 9-5, 5-9, 9-1, 9-0. The final two matches would be split; Penn's Kristen Lange topped Amanda Siebert 3-0 at No. 1, and Grabowski regained her form in time to win 9-2, 9-2, 9-10, 3-9, 9-7 in the match of the day.
Afterwards, the joy amongst the players and coaches was evident as they celebrated a second straight championship. Between hugs and photos, the players picked up their championship trophies and enjoyed the final moments of a 2007-08 season. Sure, it might not have been exactly the same as the perfect one last year.
But the ending just might have been a little better.
PRINCETON 6, PENN 3
1 ? Kristen Lange (Pe) d. Amanda Siebert 2, 7, 0
2 ? Neha Kumar (Pr) d. Alisha Turner 7, 6, 10-8
3 ? Sydney Scott (Pe) d. Jackie Moss 0, 7, 0
4 ? Emery Maine (Pr) d. Tara Chawla 5, (5), 1, 0
5 ? Casey Riley (Pr) d. Britt Hebden 1, 3, 4
6 ? Kaitlin Sennatt (Pr) d. Christina Matthias 4, 6, 7
7 ? Carly Grabowski (Pr) d. Annie Madeira 2, 2, (9-10), (3), 7
8 ? Maggie O'Toole (Pr) d. Emily Goodwin 3, 7, 4
9 ? Lauralynn Drury (Pe) d. Margaret Kent 5, 2, 2
Tuesday, June 04
Wednesday, June 22
Monday, June 06
Tuesday, March 01