PRINCETON, N.J. — The women's squash team fought off an early deficit Saturday to defeat Stanford, 6-3, in a consolation semifinal at the Howe Cup at Princeton's Jadwin Squash Courts. The victory assures the Big Red of retaining – and perhaps improving – its national ranking of sixth by season's end.
Saturday's match featured plenty of competitive matches, with just two of the nine scoring clashes concluding in the minimum three games. All four matches in the opening rotation went to four games, including senior
Laura Caty's victory at the No. 9 spot.
But the Big Red still trailed, 2-1, before sweeping the middle rotation. Sophomore
Brynn Daniels won three close games at No. 5, and senior
Jessenia Pacheco fought off an opening-game loss at No. 2 to pull Big Red ahead, 3-2. Sophomore
Olivia Wherry trailed two games to one at the No. 8 spot, but roared back with 11-3 and 11-8 wins in the fourth and fifth games to keep the momentum on Cornell's side.
Junior
Danielle Letourneau then clinched the match for the Big Red with a three-game sweep at the No. 1 position. Sophomore
Reut Odinak tacked on the sixth and final Cornell point with a five-game victory at No. 7.
Cornell will take on fifth-ranked Princeton at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the consolation final. The Big Red has finished sixth in the country the last two years, but defeating the Tigers would likely allow Cornell to move up to fifth and match the program's best-ever national standing at year's end.
#6 CORNELL 6, #7 STANFORD 3
Saturday's Howe Cup consolation semifinal; at Jadwin Squash Courts; Princeton, N.J.
1.
Danielle Letourneau (C) def. Madeleine Gill, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8
2.
Jessenia Pacheco (C) def. Zandra Ho, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7
3. Serena Fagan (S) def.
Lindsay Seginson, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8
4. Bailey Bondy (S) def.
Rachel Scherman, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10
5.
Brynn Daniels (C) def. Ariel Posner, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8
6. Alexandra Huchro (S) def.
Rachel Au, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8
7.
Reut Odinak (C) def. Julia Olson, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5
8.
Olivia Wherry (C) def. Sarah Haig, 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8
9.
Laura Caty (C) def. Carolyn Gillette, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9
Ex.
Sydney Francis (C) def. Alexandra Yorke, 11-5, 15-17, 14-16, 11-5, 11-4
