The third-nationally ranked Princeton women’s squash team finished its Ivy League season with an exciting win this past Sunday. Despite lacking the home-court advantage, the Tigers came out on top with a 9-0 finish over Cornell on Friday and a 7-2 finish over Columbia on Sunday, earning their fifth consecutive win and tenth win of the season.
At the No. 3 position during the opening shift, senior Rachel Leizman shut out her opponent with an impressive 3-0 win. "I’ve been really pleased with it," Leizman commented on about her individual performance. "I think I’ve had some tougher matches, but I’ve been able to play a more mature game, so I’m feeling good right now, but hopefully it only improves as we gear up for nationals in a couple weeks."
Senior Tara Harrington and sophomore Olivia Fletcher also played competitive matches this weekend. Harrington completed her Ivy career with a 3-1 win at the No. 7 spot, while Fletcher played at the No. 1 spot and finished her match at 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 and 11-9.
Leizman is not only proud of her wins but also the collective performance of her team this Friday and Sunday and throughout their season thus far. "I think we’ve done really well this year," Leizman stated. "We had some tough losses to Harvard and Penn who were really strong this year, and we have pushed through challenges against other teams and have managed to come out stronger after achieving those wins."
Having defeated their last Ivy League opponents this past weekend, the women’s squash team have now set their focus on their next competition against Trinity College this upcoming Saturday at the Jadwin Squash Courts and the Howe Cup Championships the following weekend in New Haven, Connecticut.
"We have a tough match against Trinity this weekend, but we finished third last year at nationals, beating Penn, and that was a really big victory for us," Leizman said, looking to the upcoming match. Though she acknowledges that more challenges lay in the remaining weeks of their season, she is also hopeful that her team can pull through with an unexpected finish. "I think we’re coming into nationals this year as underdogs, and our team has always performed really well as underdogs, so I think we’re in a good spot."
Leizman attributes their success and position heading into their final matches to the dynamics and unity within the team on and off the courts. "We’re a really close team and we’re a small team. They are sixteen of us, and it also helps that we are a balanced team," she said about her teammates. "There are four girls per year, so we each get the chance to know each other really well. We enjoy hanging out together, we live with each other, and we live near each other. I think that we really enjoy spending time together outside of squash practice in just a social setting."
With prior wins and team solidarity under their belts, Leizman and her team still hope to improve as they approach the Howe Cup and the end of their season. "We still have two more weeks to keep training, so I’m excited for what we can accomplish in those two weeks."
Read More
Women’s tennis claims Ivy League title in comeback thriller over Harvard
Josefina GurevichAfter a commanding win over Dartmouth gave women’s tennis the opportunity to play Harvard for the championship, they rallied from match deficits and an overall 3-1 Crimson lead to clinch the Ivy title and their fifth-straight trip to the NCAA tournament.
After a commanding win over Dartmouth gave women’s tennis the opportunity to play Harvard for the championship, they rallied from match deficits and an overall 3-1 Crimson lead to clinch the Ivy title and their fifth-straight trip to the NCAA tournament.
Princeton softball stands atop the Ivy League standings after defeating Yale
Dalynn HoltzclawThe Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
The Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
Princeton Men’s golf falls just short in Ivy League Championships
Matthew YiDespite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
Despite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing out to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
