Squash: Both teams faced with must-win situations on road

Heading into their final weekend of Ivy League play, the men’s and women’s squash teams are in unfamiliar territory. Neither team controls its own destiny in the Ivy League title race. Both teams play at Dartmouth on Saturday and at Harvard on Sunday.

Ranked No. 4, the men have won seven out of the last 10 Ivy League Championships, including the last four. But after last weekend’s heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Yale (9-1 overall, 3-0 Ivy League), the Tigers (7-2, 3-1) must win both their matches this weekend and hope that No. 5 Harvard (4-2, 3-0) surprises No. 2 Yale the following weekend for a share of the Ivy League title.

These matches are also Princeton’s final tune-ups before taking on Trinity, which dealt the Tigers two painfully close 5-4 defeats last year en route to its 11th consecutive national championship.

The Tigers’ lineup this weekend is bolstered by the recent return of sophomores Kelly Shannon and Chris Callis, both of whom were out with injuries before the Yale match.

“This weekend’s matches are of critical importance to Kelly and Chris, who are just getting back into match shape and are improving every day,” senior tri-captain David Canner said. “Not to diminish their performances this past weekend — in which both Kelly and Chris played inspired and gutsy squash, considering it was their first matches in nearly three months — but I can all but guarantee their best squash is yet to come.”

Head Coach Bob Callahan may choose to rest Shannon and Callis for No. 9 Darmouth (8-5, 0-3) so that they can focus on Harvard. Both players finished in the top 15 of the individual national rankings as freshmen.

The most anticipated individual match-up of the weekend is the No. 1 contest between Princeton’s freshman sensation Todd Harrity and Harvard’s Colin West.

“It is a classic example of two distinctively different-style players going at it,” Canner said. “Colin is a relentless attacker, while one of Todd’s biggest assets is his ability to play defensive squash when under pressure.”

West placed third in the individual ranking last season and is a serious contender for the individual national championship. Both he and Harrity are undefeated in Ivy League play this season.

The women’s team, also ranked fourth nationally, is hoping to bring the momentum from its 5-4 win over Yale (6-2, 1-1) last Saturday to this weekend’s matches. But with No. 3 Penn (10-1, 4-0) and No. 1 Harvard (6-0, 3-0) ahead of them in the standings, the Tigers need help to defend the Ivy League Championship. If Harvard beats Penn on Saturday and Princeton wins both of its matches, the Tigers and the Crimson will share the title.

Whether or not the Ivy League Championship is at stake on Sunday, Harvard will be seeking revenge against the Princeton team responsible for its two losses — both by a narrow 5-4 margin — last season. In the first of those matches, the Ivy League Championship was on the line. The second, hosted by Harvard only a week later, was the final of the national championship. In the national final, current senior tri-captain Amanda Siebert came back from a 2-1 deficit to win the No. 1 match and break a 4-4 tie, giving Princeton its third consecutive national title.

“Our two very close wins over Harvard last year were great, but Harvard has some young players, so it will be interesting to see how we match up,” senior tri-captain Kaitlin Sennatt said.

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The Tigers have been plagued by injury all season, with seniors Siebert, Neha Kumar and Emery Maine — all first-team All-Americans last year — missing multiple matches. Freshman Julie Cerullo stepped in nicely for the injured veterans, and will be looking this weekend to rebound from the first loss of her collegiate career, which came at the hands of Yale. The Tigers will be close to full strength against Dartmouth and Harvard, with everyone except Maine playing.