Princeton University Athletics
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Third-Ranked Women's Squash Closes Ivy Season v. #7 Cornell, #8 Columbia
February 11, 2016 | Women's Squash
Coming off a big home sweep last weekend, the third-ranked Princeton women's squash team will try to keep its momentum alive this weekend in a pair of Ivy matches against both Cornell and Columbia.
Princeton enters the weekend 8-2 overall, 3-2 in the Ivy League, and its only two losses have come to the nation's top-ranked teams, Harvard and Penn. The Tigers will have to wait a couple weeks before they get a second chance at those teams, and they want to keep their positive momentum going against a pair of New York schools this weekend.
The Tigers will open play Friday at 5:30 pm (or following the men's match, which starts at 3 pm) against the seventh-ranked Big Red (8-5, 2-3 Ivy). All matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. On Sunday, they will compete in New York City against a Columbia team trying to stay among the Top 8 to earn a spot in the Howe Cup Championships.
Princeton's place in that draw seems secure, but it also knows how important these next two weekends will be. If the Tigers can win out, which includes a home match next Saturday against fourth-ranked Trinity, they would clinch the third seed; that would keep Princeton from an opening-round match with Yale, and allow the Tigers to stay out of top-ranked Harvard's half of the draw.
TIGER TIDBITS
• Senior Rachel Leizman, who was one of four members of the Class of 2016 honored last Saturday on Senior Day, has won six matches this season, mostly at the No. 3 spot. However, she is undefeated (2-0) at No. 1, including a home win over Brown last weekend.
• Sophomore Kira Keating currently leads Princeton with nine wins this season; her lone loss came in four games against Harvard, but she followed that up with consecutive 3-2 wins over both Penn and Stanford.
• Freshmen Samantha Chai (6-2) and Isabel Hirshberg (5-1) have both won at least five matches and have winning Ivy League records.
• Junior Maria Elena Ubina and sophomore Olivia Fiechter, winners of the last two Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, are both 6-2 on the season. Both should be among the top-seeded players at the CSA individual championships, held during the first weekend of March at Chelsea Piers.