CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The women's squash team finished in sixth place at the College Squash Association's national championships this weekend after a 7-2 loss to Penn in the consolation finals on Sunday at Harvard's Murr Center.
 
The Big Red was seeded seventh coming into the three-day event, which was the ranking it held from start to finish of the regular season. But thanks to a huge 5-4 victory over sixth-seeded Stanford on Saturday, Cornell (12-8) improved its nation standing to sixth for the first time since 2009.
 
Freshman Danielle Letourneau (No. 1) and senior Lauren Sachvie (No. 7) provided victories for Cornell in the final rotation against Penn. Sachvie fought off deficits after the first and third games before winning in five to improve to 13-6 on the season. Letourneau defeated Penn's Nabilla Ariffin for the second time this season, having won in three games in their regular-season meeting just two weeks ago.
 
It was also Letourneau who sewed up the Big Red's huge victory over rival Stanford on Saturday. Again at the No. 1 position, Letourneau won in five games against Pamela Chu. Letourneau won the first two games before Chu rallied to force a fifth and deciding game, which Letourneau won 11-4. It was the second time this season that Letourneau has secured a 5-4 win for the Big Red, having clinched a match with the same score against eighth-ranked Dartmouth on Feb. 4.
 
Cornell opened the weekend with a first-round loss to Yale, 9-0 – though the lopsided score was somewhat deceiving, given that only three of the nine matches were decided in three games.
 
Both Pacheco (No. 3) and Laura Caty (No. 9) led their respective matches before falling in five games. The seventh-seeded Big Red has defeated the Bulldogs just once in its program history.
 
While team competition is complete, the Big Red still has the CSA's Individual Championships on the docket. The competition is scheduled for March 2-4 at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
 
#4 PENN 7, #7 CORNELL 2
Howe Cup; fifth-place match
Sunday, Feb. 26
At Murr Center; Cambridge, Mass.
1. Danielle Letourneau (C) def. Nabilla Ariffin, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6
2. Rachel Goh (P) def. Jaime Laird, 11-7, 11-6, 13-11
3. Pia Trikha (P) def. Jesse Pacheco, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8
4. Yarden Odinak (P) def. Maggie Remsen, 12-10, 12-10, 11-7
5. Courtney Jones (P) def. Rachel Au, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5
6. Stephanie Vogel (P) def. Clare Berner, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5
7. Lauren Sachvie (C) def. Leslie Gill, 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 13-11
8. Chloe Blacker (P) def. Jacqueline Wagner, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7
9. Colleen Fehm (P) def. Laura Caty, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8
Ex. Lindsay Wong (P) def. Sofia Thierry, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6
 
#7 CORNELL 5, #6 STANFORD 4
Howe Cup; consolation semifinal
Saturday, Feb. 25
At Murr Center; Cambridge, Mass.
1. Danielle Letourneau (C) def. Pamela Chu, 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 9-11, 11-4
2. Jaime Laird (C) def. Kerrie Sample, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8
3. Jesse Pacheco (C) def. Kyla Sherwood, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5
4. Kathryn Corelli (S) def. Maggie Remsen, 11-2, 11-6, 1-11, 11-9
5. Rachel Au (C) def. Aditi Maliwal, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-7
6. Madeleine Gill (S) def. Clare Berner, 12-10, 5-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-7
7. Lauren Sachvie (C) def. Serena Fagan, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10
8. Julie Koenig (S) def. Jacqueline Wagner, 11-3, 2-11, 11-7, 11-5
9. Alexandra Huchro (S) def. Laura Caty, 11-6, 16-14, 3-11, 11-5
 
#2 YALE 9, #7 CORNELL 0
Howe Cup; first round
Friday, Feb. 24
At Murr Center; Cambridge, Mass.
1. Millie Tomlinson (Y) def. Danielle Letourneau, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
2. Kimberly Hay (Y) def. Jaime Laird, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4, 12-10
3. Rhetta Nadas (Y) def. Jesse Pacheco, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5
4. Alexandra Van Arkel (Y) def. Maggie Remsen, 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4
5. Katie Ballaine (Y) def. Rachel Au, 11-3, 10-12, 11-4, 13-11
6. Gwendoline Tilghman (Y) def. Clare Berner, 11-2, 11-5, 11-9
7. Shihui Mao (Y) def. Lauren Sachvie, 11-5, 11-5, 11-3
8. Lillian Fast (Y) def. Jacqueline Wagner, 11-9, 12-14, 11-6, 11-8
9. Issey Norman-Ross (Y) def. Laura Caty, 8-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4