ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell women's squash welcomes a pair of top-five opponents to the Belkin Squash Courts this weekend, hosting No. 4 Princeton on Friday and No. 2 Penn on Saturday. Both matches begin at noon and will stream live on Stretch Internet.
The seventh-ranked Big Red (5-3, 1-1 Ivy) enters the weekend coming off strong performances at last weekend's CSA Individual Championships in New York City. Junior
Xin Ying Yee, seeded seventh in the tournament, advanced to the Round of 16 before falling in five games to Trinity's Thanusaa Uthrian. Seniors
Alysa Ali and
Aishwarya Khubchandani, along with freshman
Vicky Lai, all won their opening-round matches before bowing out in the Round of 32. Yee also notched a four-game victory over Princeton's Caroline Eielson in the Round of 32.
Cornell has received balanced contributions across its lineup this season. Ali and
Maya Voloshin each carry 6-2 records, with Ali playing between the top three positions and Voloshin competing at spots five through seven. Freshmen Lai and
Lamees Shalaby have both posted 5-3 marks, while Yee holds a 4-2 record exclusively from the No. 1 position.
The Big Red split its first Ivy League weekend, dominating No. 13 Dartmouth 8-1 — with six victories coming in straight games — before being swept 9-0 by top-ranked Harvard.
Friday's opponent, Princeton (6-1, 1-0 Ivy), arrives in Ithaca riding a five-match winning streak since falling to No. 4 Stanford 6-3 on Nov. 23. The Tigers boast formidable depth, with seven players posting at least six wins this season. Zeina Zein leads the charge with a perfect 6-0 record, fresh off claiming her second consecutive CSA Individual Championship. Samantha Jaffe paces the team with seven wins and a 7-0 record, while Leila Ahmed Saeed Yosry also enters the weekend undefeated at 6-0.
Princeton has never lost to Cornell, holding a perfect 31-0 record in the all-time series. However, last year's 7-2 Princeton victory featured a highlight for the Big Red, as Yee outlasted Zein in a hard-fought four-game battle at the brand-new Racquet & Recreation Fieldhouse, winning 3-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-9.
Saturday brings an even stiffer test in second-ranked Penn (9-0, 1-0 Ivy), one of two remaining undefeated teams in the CSA. The Quakers have been nearly untouchable, dropping just five individual matches all season — tied with Harvard for the fewest in the nation. Penn features six undefeated players with at least five victories, including Franka Vidovic, Alexandra Stoddard and Savannah Ingledew, who each sport 8-0 records.
Penn holds a commanding 33-3 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings by scores of at least 7-2. Cornell's most recent victory came on Jan. 13, 2023, when the Big Red posted a 6-3 triumph that snapped a 25-match losing streak to the Quakers.
