Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Yale (Quarterfinal)
Players Mentioned
Women's Squash Falls In Howe Cup Quarters 6-3 To Host Yale
February 26, 2010 | Women's Squash
Despite a 3-2 victory by freshman Julie Cerullo, who is playing her best squash heading into the individual championships, the three-time defending Howe Cup national champion Princeton women fell 6-3 to host Yale in Friday's quarterfinal round.
Princeton, which had closed the season with tight losses to the top two teams in the country, hoped that its veteran experience would carry it through a challenging path to a potential fourth straight title. Instead, home court and a quick start paced a Yale team that will take on top-ranked Harvard in one semifinal Saturday.
Yale swept the opening shift, including a 3-0 win at No. 3 by Sarah Toomey over Jackie Moss. Each of the three games were tight, but Toomey won the key points late. Katie Harrison topped Princeton's Casey Cortes in four at the No. 9 spot, and Katie Ballaine overcame a 1-0 deficit against Tiger senior tri-captain Kaitlin Sennatt to earn a 3-1 victory.
The pressure was then squarely on Princeton, and the defending champions responded. Sophomore Katie Giovinazzo cruised at the No. 8 position for a 3-0 win, as did senior Neha Kumar, who dropped only 15 points in a 3-0 win at No. 5. Cerullo looked to be in deep trouble at the No. 2 position against Alia Aziz; she trailed 2-1 and was deep in the fourth game before pulling out an 11-9 win. She needed to go even deeper into the fifth, but she came away with a 12-10 victory.
The match was now even with three matches remaining, and Princeton picked up first-game wins at both the No. 4 and No. 7 positions. Unfortunately, those would be the final ones of the day. Yale's Caroline Reigeluth used a 14-12 win in the third to top Nikki Sequeira in four, while Rhetta Nadas topped Emery Maine 12-10 in the third during a 3-1 win. Logan Greer was too strong at No. 1 for Princeton's Amanda Siebert, who fell 3-0 at the top spot.
Princeton will now move into the consolation draw and will take on Williams Saturday. The highlight match will be at No. 1, where Siebert will take on Toby Eyre, one of the top-ranked players in the nation. Siebert won a five-game thriller 13-11 in the fifth over Eyre during the regular season.