Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Squash Faces Long Road En Route To Fourth National Title
February 25, 2010 | Women's Squash
The Princeton women's squash has one thing on the rest of the field at this weekend's Howe Cup national team championships. Seven of the nine starters for Princeton this weekend will know what it takes to win it all, and they hope to reclaim that feeling at the end of a very challenging road this weekend.
With the rest of the women's teams in collegiate squash, the three-time reigning national champion Princeton women will make their way to Yale this weekend to compete in the three-day Howe Cup tournament. Princeton is the fourth seed in the main draw and will open Friday afternoon against the host and tournament fifth seed, Yale; in the regular season, Princeton's Casey Cortes fought off a handful of match balls at No. 8 before winning the fifth game 13-11 to lead Princeton to a 5-4 victory.
That's the kind of drama teams want to save for the national final, not the first match.
While Yale is playing with the same lineup from that Jan. 30 match, Princeton has senior Emery Maine back in the lineup at the No. 4 position. Thus, only three of the matches will be repeats from the first match; Yale held a 2-1 edge in that trio, although the No. 2 match between the Tigers' Julie Cerullo and Yale's Alia Aziz went five games.
Should Princeton advance to the semifinal, it would likely take on top-ranked and undefeated Harvard in one semifinal. This would be a rematch of the 2009 classic national final, which Princeton won 5-4 when No. 1 player Amanda Siebert rallied from a 2-1 hole in games and a 5-2 hole in the fourth. Harvard won the regular season match 6-3, which was the closest match the Crimson has played all season. Princeton would play with the same lineup from the Feb. 7 match, while Harvard has switched up players in the 6-7-8 spots. Of the other six matches, Harvard held a 4-2 edge.
The winner of the top half of the draw would likely see either No. 2 Trinity or No. 3 Penn in the Howe Cup final. Princeton played Trinity last weekend and fell in a 5-4 thriller. Both teams would play the same lineups from that match, which was highlighted by Princeton freshman Julie Cerullo's 3-1 victory over 2009 national individual champion Nour Baghat, who had been undefeated in her collegiate career.
Princeton fell to Penn 6-3 on Jan. 27 in another match missed by Maine. Only four of the nine matches would be rematches, and Princeton won three of those.
Seven of the Tigers' nine starters this weekend (outside of Cerullo and Cortes) were on the court in 2009 when Princeton topped Harvard 5-4 for the national title. Five were on the court in 2008 when Princeton beat Penn 6-3 for a national title, and three were on the court in 2007 when Princeton beat Harvard 6-3 for a title. Nobody has more big-match experience than the Tigers, who have had several players win huge matches throughout their careers:
1) Siebert's previously mentioned rally past Harvard's Nirasha Guruge to clinch the 2009 national team title
2) Cerullo's 3-1 win last weekend over Baghat, the former national champion
3) Jackie Moss recorded a 3-2 marathon win over Penn veteran Sydney Scott earlier this season for the highlight win against Penn
4) Maine has the national championship-clinching victory over Penn two seasons ago
5) Neha Kumar's 3-1 win over Penn in the 2008 final changed the momentum and led to the 6-3 win
6) Kaitlin Sennatt rallied from match ball down to top Trinity's JoAnn Jee in a 5-4 win in the 2009 national semifinal over Trinity
7) Nikki Sequeira from an 0-2 hole in the 2009 national championship 5-4 victory over Harvard
8) Katie Giovinazzo won a 3-2 marathon at No. 9 in last year's 5-4 semifinal victory over Trinity
9) Cortes fought off three match balls in her previously mentioned win over Yale this season
To win a fourth straight national championship, that list will likely need to add a few new victories for several players. But if there is one team you can feel confident has the mental toughness to get it done, this would be the one.
It's a long road. But Princeton knows the destination is well worth it.
KEY LINEUPS FOR THIS WEEKEND
Harvard
1. Laura Gemmell (2013)
2. Nirasha Guruge (2012)
3. June Tiong (2011)
4. Alisha Mashruwala (2011)
5. Natasha Kingshott (2013)
6. Hannah Snyder (2010)
7. Cece Cortes (2012)
8. Katherine O'Donnell (2010)
9. Bethan Williams (2011)
10. Sarah Mumanachit (2013)
Penn
1. Kristen Lange (2010)
2. Nabilla Ariffin (2013)
3. Sydney Scott (2010)
4. Rachael Goh (2013)
5. Yarden Odinak (2013)
6. Britt Hebden (2010)
7. Annie Madeira (2011)
8. Christina Matthias (2010)
9. Pia Trikha (2013)
10. Stephanie Vogel (2013)
Princeton
1. Amanda Siebert (2010)
2. Julie Cerullo (2013)
3. Jackie Moss (2011)
4. Emery Maine (2010)
5. Neha Kumar (2010)
6. Kaitlin Sennatt (2010)
7. Nikki Sequeira (2011)
8. Katie Giovinazzo (2012)
9. Casey Cortes (2013)
10. Vanessa Yu (2010)
Trinity
1. Pamela Hathway (2011)
2. Nour Bahgat (2012)
3. Nayelly Hernandez (2010)
4. Tehanie Guruge (2010)
5. Robyn Hodgson (2013)
6. JoAnn Jee (2010)
7. Alicia Rodriguez (2012)
8. Robyn Williams (2011)
9. Emily Paton (2010)
10. Emery Holton (2011)
Yale
1. Logan Greer
2. Alia Aziz
3. Sarah Toomey
4. Rhetta Nadas
5. Lexi Van Arkel
6. Katie Ballaine
7. Caroline Reigeluth
8. Aly Kerr
9. Katie Harrison
10. Kaki Ettinger