Sweet 16 for
Princeton as they lift their 16th Howe Cup Title since 1976
Feb 24th , Princeton NJ -The Second-seeded Princeton
Tigers went on the attack on Sunday and while the First Seeded
Penn Quakers did their best to defend, it was the Tigers who came
out with a 6-3 victory and the title of 2007-2008 Howe Cup Champions.
"It's incredible, and to have it be at home" said Princeton
head coach Gail Ramsay. "This is the first time we've ever
won the title on our courts."
The last time Princeton and
Penn played, Penn 5-4 won in a dramatic come from behind
victory, which propelled them to the Ivy title and undefeated
regular season. On Sunday, Penn won two of the first three
matches, thanks to wins by Lauralynn Drury at 9 and Sydney
Scott at three. Both players won all three of their matches
this weekend, including on Saturday when each played up a
spot due to a serious leg injury to Penn #2, Alisha Turner,
caused by a collision suffered in her first round match.
In the second round of
matches, the Tigers took over. Maggie O'Toole, Casey Riley
and Neha Kumar each won in three to give the Tigers a commanding
lead.
"Casey was awesome" Ramsay said. "Back to back best
performances I've ever seen from her. It is the best movement
I have ever seen out of her."
Alisha Turner, on court with a knee brace due
to her injury (reportedly a hairline fracture in her leg bone)
sustained on Friday, played fearlessly. She showed no restraint
in her efforts to balls in all corners and had good control over
her placement. The first game looked like it would go her way,
but Kumar diligently worked her way back. Turner nearly pushed
Kumar into a fourth, but fell 10-8 in the third.
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The match that clinched the win for Princeton
was the same match that clinched it for Penn in the dual season:
The No. 5's, Emery Maine of Princeton and Tara Chawla of Penn.
During the regular season it was a five game affair that played
out with the entire team watching as Chawla won it on her 21st
birthday. Yesterday, there were still other matches going on,
though enough people knew the significance of the match that the
area surrounding the court was extra crowded and extra tense.
Maine proved she learned something during the dual season, and
though she dropped the second game 5-9, she allowed just one point
in the third and dominated to the tune of 9-0 in the fourth. Princeton
officially became reigning two-time national champs.
The match
was far from over though.
Carly Grabowski and Annie Madeira,
at No. 7, played in the only match to go to five. Grabowski
nearly won in three, but Madeira held on and won 10-9, then
won the fourth convincingly 9-3. The two played a close fifth,
but Princeton's senior tri-captain would only accept one
outcome.
"Carly has lost two dual matches in her entire career," Ramsay
said. "She was not going to walk off the court without a
win."
Two of the best players in women's college squash
still had to take the court. Kristen Lange of Penn and Amanda
Siebert of Princeton. Lange had not dropped on game throughout
the tournament. That did not change yesterday. Lange won the first
easily 9-2. In the second Siebert was the picture of determination,
as the sophomore who is known for her extraordinary work ethic
would not be a part of an easy match for anyone. Excellent retrieving
and a few great shots kept it close, but Lange eventually won
9-7. The third was a quick affair for the Penn sophomore. All
weekend she impressed with her capacity to make shots that died
before anyone had a chance to reach them. That held true in her
third game against Siebert, which went 9-0 in her favor.
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Siebert and the other Tigers got to celebrate
a short time later when the Howe Cup Champion trophies were handed
out. Princeton tri-captains Grabowski, Riley and Margaret Kent
enjoyed a How Cup victory as their last team match. Penn captains
Elizabeth Kern and Lauralynn Drury both won all of their matches
during Howe Cup, but more importantly to them, they ended their
career on a team who that the Ivy League Championship and were
Dual Match champs.
Both teams will miss the leadership
and talent of their respective captains. Princeton and Penn
both return a top-notch roster for next year and could very
well end up being the top two teams again. With next season
several months away and plenty of time to start speculating,
it's time for both teams to enjoy their huge accomplishments
from this year.
OTHER WINNERS
Williams, which last year finished
sixth in Howe Cup competition, won the Kurtz Cup (for B-Division
teams), defeating Cornell 6-3 in the final. Cornell won the
trophy in 2007.
Virginia defeated Wesleyan 7-2 to win the
Epps Cup (D-division).
Georgetown won the Emerging teams divisions.
Check back later this week for a story on this year's Emerging
teams.
VASSAR WINS WALKER CUP IN INSPIRING FASHION
Vassar won the C Division, taking home the Walker
cup. Vassar No. 1 Emilie Kraft ensured the team a place in the
final with a 3-2 win against Allie Dalglish of Amherst in the
semis. Vassar was down 4-0 against Amherst, when Anna Licht won
at five, followed by wins from Hope Blinkofv, Caitlin Ly and Eleanor
Weis. Kraft, playing in the deciding match unbeknownst to her,
came back from 2-0 to win.
"It was really exciting because everyone came down and jumped
on me," Kraft said of the semifinal. "I haven't played that
many five game matches this year, or last season. It was
good to have the mental concentration. It was fun to find
out we won too. The other girls did such a great job.
Vassar
lost 8-1 to Amherst during the regular season. In the final
they played Middlebury, who they last to 5-4 in dual match
play. They turned that around to a 7-2 win on Sunday to earn
them the Walker Cup.
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