Women's squash pleases home crowd with easy win

In a battle of the preppies versus the hippies, women's squash defeated Brown on Saturday in its first home match and last before Winter Break. The Bears (0-2 overall) traveled in the inclement weather to take on the Tigers (3-0).

Buoyed by a boisterous home crowd of fans that had braved the wind and snow to cheer on its team, Princeton responded by taking 27 of the 28 games played.

Rein-Weston, playing in the No. 2 position, was the first Tiger to start laying on the hurt with 9-0, 9-0 and 9-2 wins, making quick work of her opponent on the Bears' side. After that, the hits just kept on coming.

Next to take the court was sophomore No. 1 Ruchika Kumar and her opponent, Lillian Rosenthal.

"Before the match began, I was just thinking positively," Kumar said. "I've played [Rosenthal] before and was very confident going into the match. She has always been a fighter on the court, so I knew she wasn't just going to hand me the match. I was going to have to work for my points."

And work she did. Kumar's confidence going into the match was evident to everyone present, and her play was in top-form as she won the first game handily, 9-1.

"[Rosenthal] has improved a lot on her shots since I played her last year, but I have always been confident in the accuracy and consistency of my shots," Kumar said. "I just went out there in the first game and dominated."

The second game, however, got a little grittier. After trading the first few points back and forth, Kumar, tied 3-3, went on a five-point run to put her up, 8-3. All she needed was one more point to seal the victory.

Rosenthal was not content to stand idly by and, in a stunning turn of events, managed to make up the five-point deficit to rally back and tie the match at eight. "I started playing her game of 'ball bashing' and wasn't hitting my own shots." Kumar explained. "However, I managed to stay focused and play out the points with patience. I had the crowd on my side, and I thrive off an audience."

Amidst words of encouragement and affectionate calls of "Chika" and "Cheeks," Kumar's frustration gave way. She won control of the serve and took the next two points to win the game.

In the third game, the crowd saw Kumar return to her best and Rosenthal simply couldn't keep up.

"Overall, she fought hard but I managed to pick up the level of squash and win one for the team," Kumar said.

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For the rest of the Tigers, Kumar's sloppy second game was the exception, not the rule. All down the lineup, Princeton's intensity level and skill overwhelmed its Brown opponents.

In positions No. 3 to No. 9, respectively, freshman Genevieve Lessard, senior Annie Rein-Weston, junior Tricia Gadsden, freshman Marilla Hiltz, freshman Anina Nolan, junior Frances Comey, and junior Annie Warner earned victories over their opponents. With the exception of Comey, all won their matches 3-0.

Comey's bout at the No. 8 position started out well as she won the first two games 9-0 and 9-3. In the third game, Nathalie Pierrepont rallied for a 9-7 win forcing the match to a fourth game. Comey, however, was up to the challenge, and ultimately her shot-placement proved too effective for Pierrepont in game four, which she won 9-6.

Saturday's outcome was not a surprise for the Tigers, but neither was it a foregone conclusion. For Princeton, this match was a chance to get some much-needed playing time before the break. The Tigers have played only three matches — the contest with Franklin & Marshall was cancelled — and with an upcoming three-week break, Princeton will not be very prepared in January.

With four freshmen in the lineup, experience and playing time are important factors. So far, however, the Tigers' freshmen have had little trouble in the transition from high school to college.