ITHACA, N.Y. – The women's squash season has begun on the same positive note it ended on to last season – a 5-4 victory over rival Stanford. The Big Red notched a pair of 9-0 shutouts against Williams and Hamilton before topping the Cardinal on Sunday to wrap up a three-match sweep at the Cornell Round Robin at Belkin International Squash Courts.
 
Jessenia Pacheco (No. 3), Reut Odinak (No. 8) and Maggie Remsen (No. 9) won their matches, and sixth-ranked Cornell was tied, 3-3, with seventh-ranked Stanford (2-1) after the first two rounds. Laura Caty won the first game at No. 7, but eventually dropped the match. Meanwhile, Danielle Letourneau took the final two games of her match against Pamela Chua at the No. 1 spot to knot the score at 4.
 
Letourneau and Chua split their two matches last season, with Letourneau pulling out a dramatic five-game victory in the consolation semifinals at the Howe Cup to give the Big Red a 5-4 victory and eventually the No. 6 position in the country at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.
 
This time, the deciding point fell on the shoulders of freshman Abbey Foster. A three-game winner in her first two collegiate matches on Saturday, Foster delivered much of the same Sunday with a 11-7, 11-4, 11-1 decision over senior Julie Koenig to clinch the victory for the Big Red. Foster and Letourneau were voted co-players of the match by their teammates.
 
“Abbey won the first game and was looking like she might have the edge over her opponent,” head coach Julee Devoy said. “She kept her cool and played a fantastic match under pressure. It's a good start to the season, and it gives the team the motivation and confidence to target teams ranked above us.”
 
The Big Red mixed up its lineups in Saturday's matches, with Foster and Remsen a perfect 3-0 on the weekend. Rachel Au, Jacqueline Wagner, Kathleen Donatiello and Kristin Scillia were also undefeated through two matches apiece. Cornell returns to action at 11 a.m. on Dec. 2 for its Ivy League opener at No. 13 Columbia.
 
No. 6 CORNELL 9, No. 10 WILLIAMS 0
Saturday, at Belkin International Squash Courts
1. Danielle Letourneau (C) def. Alli Rubin, 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-6.
2. Jaime Laird (C) def. Laura Henry, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5.
3. Abbey Foster (C) def. Alyssa Northrop, 11-7, 11-3, 11-2.
4. Rachel Au (C) def. Ellie O'neill, 11-9, 11-4, 11-2.
5. Laura Caty (C) def. Nicole Feshbach, 11-5, 10-12, 13-11, 3-11, 15-13.
6. Reut Odinak (C) def. Caroline Sawin, 11-4, 11-7, 13-15, 12-10.
7. Maggie Remsen (C) def. Hannah Kaemmer, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6.
8. Jacqueline Wagner (C) def. Lily Grant, 11-5, 11-1, 11-4.
9. Kathleen Donatiello (C) def. Mia Fry, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3.
10. Kristin Scillia (C) def. Hailey Newbound, 11-4, 11-1, 11-5.
 
No. 6 CORNELL 9, No. 15 HAMILTON 0
Saturday, at Belkin International Squash Courts
1. Jessenia Pacheco (C) def. Amanda Thorman, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2.
2. Abbey Foster (C) def. Hilary Gray, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4.
3. Brynn Daniels (C) def. Claire Corroon, 11-3, 12-10, 11-0.
4. Rachel Au (C) def. Elizabeth Morris, 11-5, 11-8, 11-1.
5. Maggie Remsen (C) def. Lindsay Arader, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.
6. Olivia Wherry (C) def. Isabelle Weisman, 11-8, 11-5, 11-0.
7. Jacqueline Wagner (C) def. Alexis Lee, 11-0, 11-0, 11-4.
8. Kathleen Donatiello (C) def. Alyssa Kasanoff, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2.
9. Kristin Scillia (C) def. Annabel Prouty, 11-4, 12-10, 11-2.
 
No. 6 CORNELL 5, No. 7 STANFORD 4
Sunday, at Belkin International Squash Courts
1. Danielle Letourneau (C) def. Pamela Chua, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7.
2. Kerrie Sample (S) def. Jaime Laird, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5.
3. Jessenia Pacheco (C) def. Serena Fagan, 11-8, 11-9, 11-6.
4. Abbey Foster (C) def. Julie Koenig, 11-7, 11-4, 11-1.
5. Madeleine Gill (S) def. Brynn Daniels, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9.
6. Ariel Posner (S) def. Rachel Au, 9-11, 15-13, 4-11, 13-11, 11-3.
7. Alexandra Huchro (S) def. Laura Caty, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 13-11.
8. Reut Odinak (C) def. Sarah Haig, 13-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6.
9. Maggie Remsen (C) def. Francesca Fleischer, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-8.
10. Olivia Wherry (C) def. Carolyn Gillette, 11-9, 11-4, 12-10.