W. squash takes title

The No. 1 women's squash team (11-0 overall, 9-0 Ivy League) completed its dream season Sunday in New Haven, Conn., defeating archrival Harvard (8-3 overall, 5-3 Ivy League) in the final of the Howe Cup to claim their first national championship since 1999.

The No. 2 men's team (8-1 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) also played the biggest match of its season this weekend, as it hosted eight-time defending national champion Trinity (18-0 overall) Saturday.

Unlike the women, however, the men's efforts fell short, and the Bantams handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, 7-2.

The headline this weekend in the collegiate squash world, as has been the case all season, was the Tiger women.

After finishing the regular season with a perfect record and an Ivy League championship, Princeton entered the postseason national tournament as the clear favorites, and the team did not disappoint.

With their shutout victory over Brown in the first round on Friday, the Tigers set up a show down with three-time defending national champion Yale (11-4, 3-3) in the semifinal.

Utilizing the formidable combination of experience and depth that has propelled it all year, Princeton overcame Yale's home-court advantage and rolled to a 7-2 victory.

In the final against Harvard, a rematch of last week's Ivy League championship, the story remained the same. While the Crimson claimed three of the top four matches, Princeton dominated the bottom half of the lineup and emerged with a 6-3 victory.

Some of the Tigers' top players came up short against the Crimson.

Senior No. 1 Claire Rein-Weston fell to Harvard's Kyla Grigg, 3-1. Classmate Gen Lessard lost to Audrey Duboc by the same score, 3-1.

However, they both lost after the Tigers had clinched the championship. Up until this point in the season, the senior class had largely carried the team, which demonstrates the strength of Harvard's team.

However, senior Marilla Hiltz won the sixth and final match, 3-2, by edging out Hannah Snyder 9-6 in a thrilling fifth game.

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"We knew today's match was going to be very close," head coach Gail Ramsay said. "Numbers five through nine have been people we've counted on all season, and they came through again today."

Highlighting the late matches were freshman Kaitlin Sennatt and juniors Casey Riley and Carly Grabowski, all of whom registered convincing shutout victories.

With her win, Sennatt completed her inaugural collegiate campaign with a perfect record, just as Grabowski had done.

"Kaitlin has played so well all year," Grabowski said. "It is only fitting that she did so again today. Watching her performance, especially for a freshman, in the opening session gave the rest of us a huge boost in confidence."

Also completing a highly successful freshman campaign was Neha Kumar, who handed fellow Canadian Jen Blumberg a shutout defeat in the No. 2 match.

Though the freshmen were a huge part of this year's team, the season will most likely be remembered as the seniors' farewell tour.

Four of Princeton's nine starters played their final match on Sunday and will leave the program as national champions.

"This team is definitely one of the strongest I have seen," Ramsay said, "and it was highlighted by the senior class. They have played a prominent role in the program's resurgence, and it is only fitting that they leave as champions."

While the men will have their shot at the national championship this coming weekend, they will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, as Trinity cemented its position as the team to beat after the action this weekend.

Heading into the showdown Saturday in Jadwin Gym, both teams were riding a wave of confidence.

While they both boasted undefeated records, Trinity entered the weekend with a 161-match win streak intact, and Princeton was coming off its Ivy League championship win over Harvard.

To add to the inspiration, the Tigers were looking to avenge a heartbreaking 5-4 defeat to the Bantams in Hartford, Conn., a year ago.

Sadly, Trinity's world-class lineup, which includes three of the top six individuals in the nation, was too much for the Tigers to handle, as they dominated play in the bottom half of the lineup and emerged with a 7-2 victory.

"You have to give Trinity the credit," senior Preston Comey said. "They came in here prepared and just outplayed us today."

Princeton received its lone victories from sophomores No. 1 Mauricio Sanchez and No. 3 Kimlee Wong. Wong displayed tremendous determination in his match, battling through several deficits and two overtimes to take the match in four games.

Sanchez was even more impressive. With his victory over senior Shaun Johnstone, the Mexico City native completed the regular season with a perfect record and established himself as the top individual in the country.

Princeton may have another shot at the rival Bantams , who have frustrated the Tigers in recent history, this coming weekend. The two teams will compete in the postseason Potter Cup national championship. The tournament begins Friday in Philadelphia.