Squash legend returns for individual tourney

Women's squash hosted the Betty Constable Invitational from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25 while most of Princeton enjoyed winter Intersession.

Named for probably the most well-known figure in women's squash, the Constable Invitational took place over three days and was held all day long. It is open to every college in the nation.

Betty Constable was the first head coach of women's squash when it became a varsity sport at Princeton in 1971. During her 20 years as Princeton's head coach, the Tigers won 117 matches and lost a measly 16, giving Constable the highest winning percentage of any Princeton squash coach (.880). Constable is also known for her creation of the Howe Cup, which is the tournament that determines the women's squash national champion.

"I don't think she's ever missed a match that I've played," sophomore No. 1 Ruchika Kumar said of Constable. "We talk to her whenever she's around. She'll only say a couple things like, 'You played really well' or 'kick their butt' or 'don't let Trinity take you down.'"

Constable must be proud of the Tigers this season. Princeton, with a preseason ranking of No. 6, has risen since then to No. 3, even overtaking preseason No. 2 Harvard. Trinity is the favorite still at No. 1, but it is Yale, not the Crimson, who occupies the No. 2 spot.

At the Constable Invitational, Yale's No. 2 Michelle Quibell upset Trinity's two-time National Intercollegiate Individuals champion No. 1 Amina Helal to win the Main Draw. Kumar, seeded at No. 3 in the tournament, defeated her first-round opponent handily, winning 3-0. She won 27 of 28 points played against Franklin and Marshall's Frances McNeely.

Kumar was upset in the quarterfinals, however, falling to Yale's No. 3 Catherine McLeod. After losing the first match, 10-8, Kumar was unable to recover and McLeod used her momentum from the first game to win the next two, 9-0 and 9-1.

Three of Kumar's teammates joined her in the Main Draw, freshmen Genevieve Lessard, Ali Pearson and Claire Rein-Weston. All were unable to defeat their first-round opponenents, however, and joined Kumar in the Consolation Draw.

Pearson and Lessard both lost in the first round. Pearson to Penn's No. 1 Linda McNair who later went on to lose to Kumar in the second round. Lessard lost to teammate Rein-Weston, 3-1.

After playing four games, Rein-Weston continued on into the second round where she faced Yale's No. 4 Frances Ho, who did not have to play a match to get into the second round. They split the first two games with Rein-Weston winning the first, 9-4, and Ho taking the second, 9-6.

In the third game Rein-Weston came back to win, 9-7, and despite being up 2-1 in the fourth game, she nonetheless lost in a heartbreaking 10-8 decision. Mentally and physically exhausted by this time, Rein-Weston was only able to take one point as she dropped the fifth game.

Kumar took on McNair in the second round early Sunday morning in a match that went the distance. After losing the first game, 9-7, Kumar rallied back to take the next three by storm to take her into the finals.

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But her day was only half done. That afternoon, Kumar faced Trinity's No. 4, Pam Saunders, who had had little difficulty earlier in defeating Ho, 27 points to six.

Against Kumar, however, Saunders found plenty of competition. "It was really, really good squash," Kumar said. "I kept making her work. I made her work five times more than she made me work."

Even after dropping the first two games, 9-7 and 9-4, Kumar managed to take the next two, 9-1 and 9-5.

"When you're down, 2-0," Kumar explained, "you're thinking, 'this is pretty weak.'"

But for the second time that day, Kumar found herself about to play her fifth match.

"We were both exhausted in the fifth game," Kumar said. "[But] I think she was exhausted mentally."

Up 8-4, Kumar had the serve and was awarded the point that was to end the game. But in a stunning turn of events, the call was reversed and the game forced to continue.

"I was walking off the court and [Saunders] argued the call," Kumar said. "I had to do the point over again. It was really tough because she actually made a little comeback and was catching up to beat me."

In the end, however, Kumar managed to pull it together to win, 9-6, and win the Consolation Draw.

Kumar attributes much of the win to conditioning.

"I'm the first one to moan or make a face whenever the coach makes us do stadium runs or court sprints, and I'm always dead last in all of them," Kumar said. "This is one of the times when you actually see it pay off."

"But I'm still going to whine and complain when we do it," Kumar said with a laugh.

Of the tournament and Betty Constable, Kumar said, "It's kind of a sentimental-type tournament. It's kind of nice when a great legend comes and sits down in the crowd and watches you play and comments on you.

"Hopefully, one of these years I can win one for her. That would be the plan."

After the Invitational, the Tigers went on to host Penn and Yale the following weekend. After taking Penn out, 6-3, including another 3-2 victory for Kumar over McNair, Princeton was unable to use the win to carry them over the Elis, losing 8-1.