Women's Squash: Tigers host Howe Cup

This weekend, the women’s squash team (9-4 overall, 4-3 Ivy League) will host the three-day Howe Cup national championship tournament at Jadwin Gymnasium. The No. 5 Tigers will compete in the A-Division along with the other teams ranked in the top eight nationally.

The other teams playing for the title of national champion are No. 1 Yale, No. 2 Harvard, No. 3 Trinity, No. 4 Penn, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Cornell and No. 8 Dartmouth. Friday, the Tigers will open up the competition against Penn (8-3,4-2) in a rematch of a midseason match that the Quakers won 5-4.

“We couldn't be more optimistic about our chances against Penn,” senior No. 2 and co-captain Jackie Moss said. “Last time we got off to an early lead and had some bad luck. This time everyone knows they need to be confident and get the job done.”

Head coach Gail Ramsay said the team has focused on being positive about its recent tough losses and learning from those matches. Rather than getting down on themselves, the Tigers are looking for areas in need of improvement and maintaining their positive mindset.

Last year, the Tigers fell in the first round of the Howe Cup to Yale, a team they had defeated 5-4 during the regular season. The team was riddled with injuries, with three of their top players not fully healthy.

Moss looks back at the experience as an example for this year. “This just shows that anything is possible and that old results don't mean anything once it comes down to the Howe Cup tournament.”

This weekend is an opportunity for Princeton to make up for losses to Ivy League rivals Yale and Harvard. If the Tigers upset Penn in the first round, they will likely face the Bulldogs in the semifinals and could face the Crimson in the championship with another upset.

“We are treating Friday's match against Penn like it is the final [match] of the Howe Cup,” Moss said while discussing the team’s attitude for this weekend. “We have high expectations, but we're definitely taking it one match at a time.”

Ramsay said that the team is setting its sights as high as possible. For most of the season, the Tigers have played back-to-back matches over the course of two days, and the Howe Cup will be the first time the team is challenged to a three-day competition. Ramsay said that though it is unusual to play a three-day tournament, it is conceivable and that her team is ready.

The Tigers' quarterfinal match will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, and the team is excited to host the Howe Cup at Princeton this year.

“Home court advantage is huge in squash,” Moss said. “Squash is a great spectator sport and it really pumps us up when we have a great group of fans. I can't believe it's the last time Nikki and I get to play at Jadwin, but I also think it's going to be the best. The more people who come out cheering, screaming and body-painted, the better.”