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#2 Trinity Edges Fourth-Ranked Tiger Women's Squash 5-4
February 20, 2010 | Women's Squash
The Princeton women's squash nearly pulled off an upset in its final match before the 2010 Howe Cup national championships; while the Tigers ended up falling 5-4, the three-time reigning national champions will still head to Yale next weekend with the knowledge that they have played tight matches with the best teams in the nation.
Princeton freshman Julie Cerullo had the highlight victory of the afternoon, defeating 2009 national individual champion Nour Baghat 3-1 at the No. 2 spot for a victory that put the Tigers on the edge of victory. The second-ranked Bantams were too strong in the end and won all three matches in the third shift, including a tight 3-1 win for freshman Pamela Hathway over Princeton senior Amanda Siebert at the No. 1 spot.
Trinity opened with a 2-1 lead after the opening shift; Princeton's lone win came from senior Kaitlin Sennatt, who earned a 3-1 win over Jo-Ann Jee. Trinity's Nayelly Hernandez topped Jackie Moss at No. 3, while Emily Paton won in four games at No. 9 against Casey Cortes.
The second shift belonged to Princeton. Cerullo topped Baghat in four games on court one, while Neha Kumar topped Robyn Hodgson in four games at the No. 5 spot. Sophomore Katie Giovinazzo won the lone five-game match of the day with a 3-2 win over Robyn Williams.
Trinity needed a sweep at the end, and it got it. Tehani Guruge started the push with a 3-0 win over Princeton senior Emery Maine at No. 4, and Alicia Rodriguez rallied from a 1-0 deficit against Nikki Sequeira to win the No. 7 match by a 3-1 score.
That left the match on the main court, where Hathway jumped on Siebert for a 2-0 lead. The Princeton senior tri-captain, coming off an impressive win last weekend against Williams' Toby Eyre, rallied to win the third game, and then rallied again to force a tight battle in the fourth. Hathway was able to use her impressive drop shots to hold off the gritty Siebert for a 3-1 victory.
Princeton will enter the Howe Cup championships next weekend as the fourth seed and will likely take on the fifth-ranked and host Yale Bulldogs Friday. The winner will likely take on Ivy League champion and top-seeded Harvard, which has yet to lose this season.
1 – Pamela Hathway (T) d. Amanda Siebert 3-1
2 – Julie Cerullo (P) d. Nour Baghat 3-1
3 – Nayelly Hernandez (T) d. Jackie Moss 3-0
4 – Tehani Guruge (T) d. Emery Maine 3-0
5 – Neha Kumar (P) d. Robyn Hodgson 3-1
6 – Kaitlin Sennatt (P) d. Jo-Ann Jee 3-1
7 – Alicia Rodriguez (T) d. Nikki Sequeira 3-1
8 – Katie Giovinazzo (P) d. Robyn Williams 3-2
9 – Emily Paton (T) d. Casey Cortez 3-1