Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Squash Teams Head To Yale For Crucial Ivy League Showdowns
January 28, 2011 | Men's Squash, Women's Squash
The Princeton men's and women's squash teams face major challenges Saturday at 1 p.m. when they head to the Brady Squash Center in New Haven, Conn., to take on a Yale squad ranked second in both national polls.
The Princeton men, ranked third nationally and coming off Thursday night's 9-0 sweep of No. 10 Penn, saw their streak of four straight Ivy League titles come to a heartbreaking halt last season at the hands of the Bulldogs. Princeton fell 5-4 to Yale last season in a match that featured four five-set matches, three of which were won by Yale.
Both teams are unbeaten in league play, including wins over No. 5 Cornell, so Saturday's winner will have the inside track for the Ivy title. In Princeton's last trip to Yale, the Tigers earned a 7-2 win en route to the 2009 Ivy League title. Head coach Bob Callahan has several new faces on his roster this season, including sophomore Todd Harrity, the top-ranked player in college squash. Harrity will face a tough opponent in either Hywel Robinson, the seventh-ranked player in college squash, or Kenneth Chan, the eighth-ranked player.
Senior David Letourneau plays number two for Princeton and is ranked fourth nationally, and he will likely face either Robinson or Chan. Letourneau is one of 3-4 potential senior starters for the Tigers, each of whom will be looking to cap their careers with an Ivy League title. Brothers Peter and Philip Sopher have both had strong seasons, while Nikhil Seth had a thrilling 3-2 win over Brown before the winter break.
Callahan is hoping to see former All-America junior Kelly Shannon make his season debut, though he is unsure of whether he'lll be able to compete. Callahan has been thrilled with the play of classmate Chris Callis, who has won four straight matches and 12 of his last 13 individual games.
On the women's side, Princeton lost all margin for error in a 5-4 loss to Penn last night. On the flip side, since Penn has already lost 5-4 to Yale, Princeton can still clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title by running the table. The Tigers split a pair against Yale last season; they won a 5-4 home thriller during the regular season, but they were eliminated in the Howe Cup quarterfinal by the host Bulldogs.
Tiger head coach Gail Ramsay has watched four freshmen make an immediate impact on her roster, including Alex Sawin and Caroline Feeley, both of whom earned 3-0 wins over Penn Thursday night. Libby Eyre has played the highest in the lineup at the No. 3 spot and has won four of her first five matches, while Lexi Saunders is playing No. 4 and was one set away from improving her season record to 7-0 before falling in five games.
Princeton's top player is sophomore Julie Cerullo, who will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Penn. She is likely to face Logan Greer, one of the nation's top players.