Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, January 30
Jadwin Squash Courts
12 p.m.
Princeton University
5
vs
4
Yale
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
Thrilling Rally Guides Women's Squash Past Yale In 5-4 Victory
January 30, 2010 | Women's Squash
In one incredible, tension-filled stretch midway through the women's squash match between the fourth-ranked Yale Bulldogs and the seventh-ranked Princeton Tigers, a freshman was forced to dig deep and deal with a moment that few would think somebody so inexperienced could handle.
Yet, thanks to a tenacious comeback victory by a senior whose made a career of winning in such moments, that was the moment staring freshman Casey Cortes in the face. With any hopes of staying in the Ivy League championship race potentially on her racket and facing three match balls, Cortes thrilled an enthusiastic home audience with a stirring comeback and helped Princeton to a 5-4 win over Yale.
The wild stretch, which happened during the second shift of Saturday's Ivy League showdown, went like this. Princeton led 2-1 after the first shift, but was in the middle of three nail-biters on adjacent courts. The most stunning belonged to senior tri-captain Kaitlin Sennatt, who battled early nerves at the No. 5 position and trailed 2-0 in games and 6-4 in the third before mounting a comeback.
“I was so nervous at the start and just wanted to go in firing, but she played great,” Sennatt said of Yale's Alexandra Van Arkel, who was five points away from tying the team match at 2-2 before Sennatt caught fire. “Once I was down 2-0, I had nothing to lose and knew I had to win that game. I wanted to start playing my own game.”
A 6-0 run put Sennatt in control of the third, and she never looked back. Her 3-2 win put Princeton in position to actually win the team match before the third shift began. No. 2 player Julie Cerullo was locked in a tight fifth game with Yale's Alia Aliz, while Cortes went down quickly in her fifth game against Alexandra Kerr.
Cerullo's match looked to be the winnable one for Princeton, but a combination of errors and solid shotmaking by Aliz pushed the Yale player to a tight five-game win. Most on Court 1 might have thought that the team match was tied, but a wild rally was happening simultaneously on Court 3.
Down 7-2 early and eventually 10-7 in a scoring system that now allows scoring to happen after every rally, not just on the player's serve, Cortes dug in and forced long rallies.
“I had to play a little safer at that point,” she said. “I had to try shots I knew I wouldn't miss. I couldn't go for a shot that might not work. We were both exhausted, but I had to force long rallies.”
Cortes' hustle, especially on one match ball that she seemed on the defensive the whole time, eventually led to a 10-10 tie. From there, she took control and ultimately pulled out a 13-11 victory that left Princeton one match from victory.
“Casey had a rough loss on Wednesday, but she is really good and such a fiery competitor,” Sennatt said. “We knew if she kept going for her shots, she would be fine.”
Those wins, combined with 3-0 victories by No. 3 Jackie Moss and No. 9 Vanessa Yu in the first shift, gave Princeton three chances to win it at the end. It would only take one. Senior Neha Kumar, a three-time All-America who is battling back from injury, was in control of her match at No. 4 from the start. Her deceptive shotmaking never allowed Rhetta Nadas to get comfortable in a 3-0 Tiger win.
“Neha hasn't played in a while, and the pace was too much for her Wednesday night,” said head coach Gail Ramsay, who has guided Princeton to each of the last three national team championships. “Today was a good matchup for her, and Neha really played well. Her opponent never had an idea where Neha was hitting, and her serve was a killer.”
The win keeps Princeton in the hunt for an Ivy League title and could move Princeton into the Top 5 of the national team rankings, which would mean plenty in terms of team championship seedings.
“I like the fact that this team goes out every time thinking it can win,” Ramsay said. “They are determined and they play hard. I think we can play better, but this is a good win for us.”
It got off to a good start, thanks to important wins by Moss and Yu. At the No. 3 position, Moss dominated play, even though she was coming off a draining 3-2 victory at Penn Wednesday night. Her pace and length dictated the points and she looked in control from the start.
While junior Nikki Sequeira, who is also battling back from injury, fell at the No. 6 position, Princeton still led 2-1 because of Yu's victory. A member of the five-person senior class, Yu had been the only one outside of the Top 9 through much of her career. Through hard work and attention to detail in her first three years, she improved enough to earn an opportunity at a career win Saturday, and she didn't let it slip away.
“She has spent three years working hard and doing the right things,” Ramsay said. “She's a solid player, and I thought it was a really good win against quite a good player for Yale.”
Yale picked up late wins at No. 1 and No. 7 to end the team match 5-4. Princeton returns to Jadwin Gym Sunday at noon to take on Middlebury.
PRINCETON 5, YALE 4
1) Logan Greer (Y) d. Amanda Siebert 3-0
2) Alia Aliz (Y) d. Julie Cerullo 3-2
3) Jackie Moss (P) d. Sarah Toome 3-0
4) Neha Kumar (P) d. Rhetta Nadas 3-0
5) Kaitlin Sennatt (P) d. Alexandra Van Arkel 3-2
6) Katie Ballaine (Y) d. Nikki Sequeira 3-1
7) Caroline Reigeluth (Y) d. Katie Giovinazzo 3-2
8) Casey Cortes (P) d. Alexandra Kerr 3-2
9) Vanessa Yu (P) d. Katherine Harrison 3-0
Yet, thanks to a tenacious comeback victory by a senior whose made a career of winning in such moments, that was the moment staring freshman Casey Cortes in the face. With any hopes of staying in the Ivy League championship race potentially on her racket and facing three match balls, Cortes thrilled an enthusiastic home audience with a stirring comeback and helped Princeton to a 5-4 win over Yale.
The wild stretch, which happened during the second shift of Saturday's Ivy League showdown, went like this. Princeton led 2-1 after the first shift, but was in the middle of three nail-biters on adjacent courts. The most stunning belonged to senior tri-captain Kaitlin Sennatt, who battled early nerves at the No. 5 position and trailed 2-0 in games and 6-4 in the third before mounting a comeback.
“I was so nervous at the start and just wanted to go in firing, but she played great,” Sennatt said of Yale's Alexandra Van Arkel, who was five points away from tying the team match at 2-2 before Sennatt caught fire. “Once I was down 2-0, I had nothing to lose and knew I had to win that game. I wanted to start playing my own game.”
A 6-0 run put Sennatt in control of the third, and she never looked back. Her 3-2 win put Princeton in position to actually win the team match before the third shift began. No. 2 player Julie Cerullo was locked in a tight fifth game with Yale's Alia Aliz, while Cortes went down quickly in her fifth game against Alexandra Kerr.
Cerullo's match looked to be the winnable one for Princeton, but a combination of errors and solid shotmaking by Aliz pushed the Yale player to a tight five-game win. Most on Court 1 might have thought that the team match was tied, but a wild rally was happening simultaneously on Court 3.
Down 7-2 early and eventually 10-7 in a scoring system that now allows scoring to happen after every rally, not just on the player's serve, Cortes dug in and forced long rallies.
“I had to play a little safer at that point,” she said. “I had to try shots I knew I wouldn't miss. I couldn't go for a shot that might not work. We were both exhausted, but I had to force long rallies.”
Cortes' hustle, especially on one match ball that she seemed on the defensive the whole time, eventually led to a 10-10 tie. From there, she took control and ultimately pulled out a 13-11 victory that left Princeton one match from victory.
“Casey had a rough loss on Wednesday, but she is really good and such a fiery competitor,” Sennatt said. “We knew if she kept going for her shots, she would be fine.”
Those wins, combined with 3-0 victories by No. 3 Jackie Moss and No. 9 Vanessa Yu in the first shift, gave Princeton three chances to win it at the end. It would only take one. Senior Neha Kumar, a three-time All-America who is battling back from injury, was in control of her match at No. 4 from the start. Her deceptive shotmaking never allowed Rhetta Nadas to get comfortable in a 3-0 Tiger win.
“Neha hasn't played in a while, and the pace was too much for her Wednesday night,” said head coach Gail Ramsay, who has guided Princeton to each of the last three national team championships. “Today was a good matchup for her, and Neha really played well. Her opponent never had an idea where Neha was hitting, and her serve was a killer.”
The win keeps Princeton in the hunt for an Ivy League title and could move Princeton into the Top 5 of the national team rankings, which would mean plenty in terms of team championship seedings.
“I like the fact that this team goes out every time thinking it can win,” Ramsay said. “They are determined and they play hard. I think we can play better, but this is a good win for us.”
It got off to a good start, thanks to important wins by Moss and Yu. At the No. 3 position, Moss dominated play, even though she was coming off a draining 3-2 victory at Penn Wednesday night. Her pace and length dictated the points and she looked in control from the start.
While junior Nikki Sequeira, who is also battling back from injury, fell at the No. 6 position, Princeton still led 2-1 because of Yu's victory. A member of the five-person senior class, Yu had been the only one outside of the Top 9 through much of her career. Through hard work and attention to detail in her first three years, she improved enough to earn an opportunity at a career win Saturday, and she didn't let it slip away.
“She has spent three years working hard and doing the right things,” Ramsay said. “She's a solid player, and I thought it was a really good win against quite a good player for Yale.”
Yale picked up late wins at No. 1 and No. 7 to end the team match 5-4. Princeton returns to Jadwin Gym Sunday at noon to take on Middlebury.
PRINCETON 5, YALE 4
1) Logan Greer (Y) d. Amanda Siebert 3-0
2) Alia Aliz (Y) d. Julie Cerullo 3-2
3) Jackie Moss (P) d. Sarah Toome 3-0
4) Neha Kumar (P) d. Rhetta Nadas 3-0
5) Kaitlin Sennatt (P) d. Alexandra Van Arkel 3-2
6) Katie Ballaine (Y) d. Nikki Sequeira 3-1
7) Caroline Reigeluth (Y) d. Katie Giovinazzo 3-2
8) Casey Cortes (P) d. Alexandra Kerr 3-2
9) Vanessa Yu (P) d. Katherine Harrison 3-0
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