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Depleted Women's Squash Team Drops Season Opener 6-3 To Stanford
November 22, 2009 | Women's Squash
Despite wins from a pair of freshmen, the three-time defending national champion Princeton women's squash team could not overcome several key injuries at the top of its lineup in a 6-3 loss to Stanford during the 2009-10 opening match.
Princeton played without its top three players from last year's Howe Cup final lineup. Seniors Amanda Siebert, Neha Kumar and Emery Maine all sat out with either injuries or illness, and the Cardinal was able to take advantage in a neutral-site match held at Cornell. The Tigers will be back there Sunday for the Ivy League opener against the Big Red, which lost 7-2 to Penn Saturday.
The Tigers got their three wins from a trio of players who were in high school when Princeton won its three national titles. Leading the way was Julie Cerullo, who competed in the 2009 World Junior Women's Championships this past summer, won her collegiate debut at the No. 1 position by a 3-1 score.
Classmate Casey Cortes also picked up a 3-1 win at the No. 7 position. The Tigers' third win came at the No. 4 position, as junior Nikki Sequeira went the distance for a 3-2 victory at the No. 4 position. Sequeira's last collegiate match was also a 3-2 win; her rally from an 0-2 hole in the national championship match helped Princeton to its narrow 3-2 win over Harvard.
“It was a tough match,” said head coach Gail Ramsay. “Stanford did a good job. I hope this match will help some of our younger players grow and be stronger down the line. It's still a disappointing result. But I saw a lot of determination and grit from our players.”
Princeton will take on Cornell Sunday at noon.
(individual scores will be posted when available)