Tigers will compete against Stanford to open national championships

After completing a strong 11-2 season and notching a 5-2 Ivy League record, the women’s squash team now faces their greatest challenge yet as they head to New Haven this weekend for the Howe Cup Championships.

The Howe Cup serves as the national championship for women’s squash. Last year, the Tigers battled all the way to the tournament semifinals, dropping a 5-4 heartbreaker against eventual champion Harvard. However, they bounced back the next day and clinched third place nationally by defeating Ivy League champion Penn 5-4. This year, the team again has high hopes.

Harvard defeated Trinity last year to win the title, and Princeton accomplished the same feat last week when they downed the Bantams (11-4 overall) in a thrilling 5-4 win. Princeton’s outstanding victory was largely driven by senior Rachel Leizman, who won a come-from-behind match 3-2 in order to clinch the win for the Tigers.

Princeton’s first opponent of the tournament will be Stanford this Friday. The Cardinal have gone 11-4 in the season and fell to the Tigers by a score of 7-2 at the teams’ last meeting in January. However, the regular season matchup was closer than the score would indicate: Princeton only had to win two five-game matches, including a 3-2 victory by sophomore Kira Keating and a similar thriller by senior Isabella Bersani, before consistent heavy-hitters such as Leizman, sophomore Olivia Fiechter and freshman star Samantha Chai put the game away. Since then, the Cardinal have not played another varsity match, while Princeton has won five straight — including three Ivy League blowouts over Yale, Brown and Cornell.

Princeton will look to a diverse cast for success against this team and those that will follow this weekend. Their weapons include Leizman, a senior who clinched the Trinity game last week and has earned an All-America Honorable Mention, sophomore Olivia Fiechter and freshman Samantha Chai. Fiechter has earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, while Chai has won her last six individual matches.

The Tigers will look to repeat their success against Stanford on Friday before continuing down the stretch against harder foes. Harvard clearly seems to be the team to beat in the overall tournament: the Crimson (10-0, 7-0 Ivy) trounced Princeton in the teams’ regular season meeting, with only junior Gabriella Garr, Leizman and Keating winning a single game. Harvard is also ranked No. 1 nationally, with its closest games all season consisting of a 6-3 win over No. 2 Penn and a 7-2 victory over Trinity. The latter two teams will also be in the mix as possible opponents for Princeton over the weekend. The Tigers have already fallen to Penn by a score of 8-1. Princeton thus far has earned itself a place among the best; this weekend will determine just how high that place might be.

Princeton will face Stanford this Friday, February 26, in New Haven.