Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Squash Looks To Jump Back Into Ivy Race Wednesday (7 pm) vs. Penn
January 27, 2015 | Women's Squash
On one hand, Princeton wanted to remain undefeated when it rolled into the crucial final month of the women's squash season.
On the other hand, Princeton wanted to make sure it was in control of its own destiny in the Ivy League race; thanks to a little assistance in Philadelphia, that is exactly where the Tigers find themselves.
Now, it's a question of what can they do about it.
| Date • Time | Jan. 28 • 7 pm (three shifts) |
| Watch Live | Ivy League Digital Network |
| @TigerSquash1 • @PUTigers • @PUTigers_Live | |
| Rosters | Princeton • Penn |
| Schedules | Princeton • Penn |
| What's Next? | Princeton travels to Yale and Brown this weekend |
The Princeton women's squash team is currently 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the Ivy League. Its hopes for a big early statement fell short in an Ivy-opening 7-2 loss against Harvard, but the Crimson dropped its next match, a 5-4 thriller at Penn.
Care to guess who Princeton opens the post-finals break against?
Princeton will play Penn in the second match (7 pm) of a men's/women's doubleheader against the Quakers — led by Princeton alumni Jack Wyant '96 — Jan. 28. That will open a stretch of six matches over 2.5 weeks before the top eight teams in the nation converge in Boston for the Howe Cup team championships.
While the national title remains the final team goal, Princeton found itself right back in the Ivy League race after its 9-0 win over Dartmouth on Jan. 11. The Tigers know they have no margin for error anymore — Yale is also unbeaten — and they will need to be at their best following a 17-day layoff.
Head coach Gail Ramsay understands that her team can't afford to slowly work its way back into a match-tough squad, so she is setting up her team's practice schedule to keep the team both physically and competitively fit.
“We want to keep our fitness up, but I really want us to focus on playing competitively,” Ramsay said. “We did play a fair amount in the fall, but you can't do too many challenge matches in a week. So I want them to focus more on the match play — not necessarily in challenges — and to face a variety of players. I want them to focus on playing as much as possible, which will keep them fit for those tough weekends, like the Howe Cup.”
Princeton and Penn have split their last 12 matches, and Princeton has won four of five played at Jadwin during that stretch. While none was as meaningful as the 6-3 victory in the 2008 Howe Cup national championship match, there may not have been one as remarkable as the 9-0 Tiger victory two seasons ago.
Basically, it was a night filled with close matches, and every one of them went to the Orange and Black.
Princeton won't need nine matches Wednesday night, but it certainly needs five, and it will need to do so without the help of talented freshman Lindsay Scott, who suffered an ankle injury that will likely keep her out for the Ivy season. Scott had already proven to be a strong presence in the middle of the lineup, and she was missed when the Tigers faced off against Harvard.
Following the Penn match, Princeton will head on the road for the first time all season. The Tigers will start their journey in Providence with matches against both Stanford and Brown, and then will take on Yale Feb. 1 at 12 pm. While it will be the third match of the weekend for Princeton, the Bulldogs will be coming off a Saturday showdown with the Quakers.
Should Princeton still be in the championship race for that matchup, they can take some positive memories from their 2013 trip to New Haven; following the Tigers' 9-0 victory over Penn, Princeton received crucial third-shift wins from Rachel Leizman and Alex Sawin '14 en route to a 5-4 victory. That would be the final regular season test for the 2013 Ivy League champion Tigers.
The final home match of the season — as well as Senior Day for the Orange and Black — will be played Feb. 6 against Columbia. Like all of Princeton's home matches this season, it will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.