HARTFORD, Conn. — The women's squash team captured the College Squash Association's Kurtz Cup on Sunday, surging to a 6-3 upset victory over Dartmouth at Trinity's Kellner Squash Center.
 
The Kurtz Cup is the College Squash Association's 'B' Division national championship, featuring a field of the nation's ninth- to 16th-ranked teams. This year marked the first time since 2008 that Cornell fell outside the nation's top eight with a subsequent berth to the top-flight Howe Cup.
 
But Cornell (8-10), which entered the weekend ranked 11th and the bracket's third seed, made the most of it. After sailing past 14th-ranked George Washington in Friday's quarterfinal, the Big Red avenged an earlier loss to 10th-ranked Virginia on Saturday to advance to Sunday's championship against ninth-ranked Dartmouth.
 
The top-seeded Big Green took a 2-1 lead out of the rotation, thanks to a five-game win at the No. 3 position. Sophomore Mimi deLisser got the Big Red on the board with a win at No. 6. The Big Red then flexed its muscle from the top of the ladder with easy victories from freshmen Siva Subramaniam and Lily Zelov at the top two spots. Combined with a four-game victory from senior Hannah Scherl at No. 8, the Big Red took a 4-2 lead.
 
Dartmouth got its third point via five-game victory at No. 5, leaving the balance of the match on juniors Madison Miles (No. 4) and Lucy Martin (No. 7). Both of them won the first two games of their respective matches before their opponents forced a fourth. Martin's match then entered a fifth, though both ultimately prevailed to clinch the match.
 
Cornell has now won the Kurtz Cup in each of its last times in the field, with the previous crowns coming in 2007 and 2008. The victory will bump the Big Red up two spots in the Dunlop College Squash Rankings to a season-ending standing of ninth.
 
Both Cornell squash programs have now completed the team portion of their schedules, and both will send entries to the CSA's Individual National Championships next weekend in Providence, R.I.
 

CORNELL 6, DARTMOUTH 3

National rankings: Dartmouth 9, Cornell 11
1. Siva Subramaniam (C) def. Anne Blasberg, 11-7, 11-2, 11-7
2. Lily Zelov (C) def. Emma MacTaggart, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3
3. Brynn Bank (D) def. Nghi Nguyen, 5-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6
4. Madison Miles (C) def. Ellie Gozigian, 11-7, 11-4, 4-11, 11-3
5. Sandra Reiss (D) def. Colby Gallagher, 10-12, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 12-10
6. Mimi deLisser (C) def. Junnat Anwar, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8
7. Lucy Martin (C) def. Darden Gildea, 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 7-11, 11-7
8. Hannah Scherl (C) def. Julia Potter, 13-11, 5-11, 11-7, 12-10
9. Emma Roberts (D) def. Lauren Leizman, 12-10, 11-5, 7-11, 11-3