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Close Losses Early Haunt No. 5 Tigers In Home Loss To Second-Ranked Penn
January 29, 2015 | Women's Squash
And if they can put together their best weekend at the right time, it could culminate into a magical finish.
A pair of two-point, fifth-set losses in the opening shift doomed the fifth-ranked Princeton women's squash team Wednesday night in a 6-3 loss to second-ranked Penn.
Princeton grabbed the first win at No. 9, as sophomore Alex Toth controlled her match over Leslie Gill. On the main court, senior Nicole Bunyan used a marathon 19-17 victory in the opener to push Melissa Alves to a fifth game, where she saved two match points before falling 13-11.
Classmate Hallie Dewey tried to give Princeton the first-shift lead, but Haidi Lala came up with two winning points after a 9-9 tie to take the match; the latter came on a perfect forehand drive that rolled out of the corner for a winner.
Penn followed with two 3-1 wins in the second shift, but the Tigers stayed in the mix when reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Maria Elena Ubina played one of her best matches at Princeton in a 3-0 win over Anaka Alankamony. Ubina was 0-2 against Alankamony last season, but she took control early and never let up to keep Princeton alive.
Penn would clinch the win with a 3-0 victory at No. 7, but Tiger freshman Olivia Fiechter posted one of her best victories with a 3-0 win over Yan Xin Tan at No. 1. Fiechter was down big early in the opening game, but she rallied for that win and never looked back.
Penn 6, Princeton 3
1 – Olivia Fiechter (Pr) d. Yan Xin Tan 3-0
2 – Maria Elena Ubina (Pr) d. Anaka Alankamony 3-0
3 – Melissa Alves (Pe) d. Nicole Bunyan 3-2
4 – Marie Stephen (Pe) d. Alex Lunt 3-0
5 – Michelle Wong (Pe) d. Rachel Leizman 3-1
6 – Haidi Lala (Pe) d. Hallie Dewey 3-2
7 – Camille Lanier (Pe) d. Tara Harrington 3-2
8 – Ali Richmond (Pe) d. Kira Keating 3-1
9 – Alex Toth (Pr) d. Leslie Gill 3-0