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W. Squash Drops Cup Final
Quietly consistent over the past decade, the Harvard women's squash team has discovered that it makes bigger news when it loses than when it wins.
It made such headlines last year when the Princeton Tigers snapped the Crimson's streak of six streak national titles with a disappointing, if not wholly unexpected loss at the Howe Cup, women's squash's equivalent of the national championship. CORNELL 0 HARVARD 9 This weekend, it happened again. Top-ranked Harvard (11-1) dropped a 5-4 nailbiter to No. 2 Princeton yesterday in the finals of the Howe Cup at the Murr Center to keep the national championship in the Garden State. The stunning defeat came just one week after Harvard edged the Tigers by the same score in Princeton. The primary difference between the two weeks came in a seemingly insignificant change made by Princeton Head Coach Gail Ramsay. Ramsay promoted senior Megan Murphy to the ninth slot, the lowest position counted in the final score. With Princeton clinging to a 4-3 lead, Murphy stepped onto the Crimson court against Harvard sophomore Virginia Brown. Both players had not even lost a game all weekend, let alone a match. Murphy jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the match with the slimmest of victories in the third game, 10-8. With that game tied 8-8, Murphy rattled off two straight points to bring her team to the brink of the title. Brown tied the match again at 2-2 with a 9-4 victory, but Murphy captured In a glorious meet for the bottom seeds, theNo. 8 players provided the other dramatic match-upof the tournament. Harvard junior Blair Endersen valiantly foughtPrinceton senior Avery Coleman, winning the thirdand fourth games 9-7 to comeback from a 2-0deficit only to succumb 9-5 in the final game fora 3-2 loss. The top two players for each team traded sweepsas freshman No. 1 Margaret Elias lost to sophomoreJulia Beaver 9-5, 9-0, 9-5. Elias, who has had a remarkable rookie season,struggled during the tournament at the No. 1position. She also lost to the top Trinity playeron Saturday and had the only losing record amongthe Harvard team. Captain and 1997 All-American Brooke Herlihypicked up the slack for the Crimson, knocking offsenior Elise O'Connell in the two slot 10-8, 9-0,9-7. Princeton swept through the No. 3 and No. 4slots as junior Blair Irwin and sophomore MeredithQuick rolled over Harvard junior Stephanie Teafordand freshman Carlin Wing, respectively. Unlike last season, the Crimson was favored tocapture the Cup based on the strong play of itsfreshman class. The Crimson rookies, however, onlypicked up one victory--No. 6 Colby Hall's 9-4,9-0, 9-5 win over fellow first-year Emily Eynon. Harvard's senior class--who will graduate aneven .500 in the Howe Cup--held up their end ofthe fort. No. 7 senior Leah Ramella notched theother Crimson win, 8-10, 9-4, 10-8, 9-2 oversenior Bebeth Schenck. Both teams had breezed into the final round ofthe tournament. Harvard shut out Cornell 9-0 onFriday with all Crimson players turning in cleansheets--no one lost a game. On Saturday, Harvardmade similar short work of Trinity winning 8-1. The Tigers blanked Brown 9-0 on Friday and sentPenn packing 7-2 on Saturday to setup the finalmatch. Despite dropping to an Ivy rival, the loss wasjust Harvard's first of a season that still is notover. Harvard will host Yale on Wednesday. With a win at the Murr Center, the Crimson canclaim at least one championship this season--anIvy League championship. But, for a team that has dominated collegesquash for so long it would be a Pyrrhic title andthe season as dominating as it was, still adisappointment.
This weekend, it happened again.
Top-ranked Harvard (11-1) dropped a 5-4 nailbiter to No. 2 Princeton yesterday in the finals of the Howe Cup at the Murr Center to keep the national championship in the Garden State.
The stunning defeat came just one week after Harvard edged the Tigers by the same score in Princeton.
The primary difference between the two weeks came in a seemingly insignificant change made by Princeton Head Coach Gail Ramsay.
Ramsay promoted senior Megan Murphy to the ninth slot, the lowest position counted in the final score.
With Princeton clinging to a 4-3 lead, Murphy stepped onto the Crimson court against Harvard sophomore Virginia Brown. Both players had not even lost a game all weekend, let alone a match.
Murphy jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the match with the slimmest of victories in the third game, 10-8. With that game tied 8-8, Murphy rattled off two straight points to bring her team to the brink of the title.
Brown tied the match again at 2-2 with a 9-4 victory, but Murphy captured In a glorious meet for the bottom seeds, theNo. 8 players provided the other dramatic match-upof the tournament. Harvard junior Blair Endersen valiantly foughtPrinceton senior Avery Coleman, winning the thirdand fourth games 9-7 to comeback from a 2-0deficit only to succumb 9-5 in the final game fora 3-2 loss. The top two players for each team traded sweepsas freshman No. 1 Margaret Elias lost to sophomoreJulia Beaver 9-5, 9-0, 9-5. Elias, who has had a remarkable rookie season,struggled during the tournament at the No. 1position. She also lost to the top Trinity playeron Saturday and had the only losing record amongthe Harvard team. Captain and 1997 All-American Brooke Herlihypicked up the slack for the Crimson, knocking offsenior Elise O'Connell in the two slot 10-8, 9-0,9-7. Princeton swept through the No. 3 and No. 4slots as junior Blair Irwin and sophomore MeredithQuick rolled over Harvard junior Stephanie Teafordand freshman Carlin Wing, respectively. Unlike last season, the Crimson was favored tocapture the Cup based on the strong play of itsfreshman class. The Crimson rookies, however, onlypicked up one victory--No. 6 Colby Hall's 9-4,9-0, 9-5 win over fellow first-year Emily Eynon. Harvard's senior class--who will graduate aneven .500 in the Howe Cup--held up their end ofthe fort. No. 7 senior Leah Ramella notched theother Crimson win, 8-10, 9-4, 10-8, 9-2 oversenior Bebeth Schenck. Both teams had breezed into the final round ofthe tournament. Harvard shut out Cornell 9-0 onFriday with all Crimson players turning in cleansheets--no one lost a game. On Saturday, Harvardmade similar short work of Trinity winning 8-1. The Tigers blanked Brown 9-0 on Friday and sentPenn packing 7-2 on Saturday to setup the finalmatch. Despite dropping to an Ivy rival, the loss wasjust Harvard's first of a season that still is notover. Harvard will host Yale on Wednesday. With a win at the Murr Center, the Crimson canclaim at least one championship this season--anIvy League championship. But, for a team that has dominated collegesquash for so long it would be a Pyrrhic title andthe season as dominating as it was, still adisappointment.
In a glorious meet for the bottom seeds, theNo. 8 players provided the other dramatic match-upof the tournament.
Harvard junior Blair Endersen valiantly foughtPrinceton senior Avery Coleman, winning the thirdand fourth games 9-7 to comeback from a 2-0deficit only to succumb 9-5 in the final game fora 3-2 loss.
The top two players for each team traded sweepsas freshman No. 1 Margaret Elias lost to sophomoreJulia Beaver 9-5, 9-0, 9-5.
Elias, who has had a remarkable rookie season,struggled during the tournament at the No. 1position. She also lost to the top Trinity playeron Saturday and had the only losing record amongthe Harvard team.
Captain and 1997 All-American Brooke Herlihypicked up the slack for the Crimson, knocking offsenior Elise O'Connell in the two slot 10-8, 9-0,9-7.
Princeton swept through the No. 3 and No. 4slots as junior Blair Irwin and sophomore MeredithQuick rolled over Harvard junior Stephanie Teafordand freshman Carlin Wing, respectively.
Unlike last season, the Crimson was favored tocapture the Cup based on the strong play of itsfreshman class. The Crimson rookies, however, onlypicked up one victory--No. 6 Colby Hall's 9-4,9-0, 9-5 win over fellow first-year Emily Eynon.
Harvard's senior class--who will graduate aneven .500 in the Howe Cup--held up their end ofthe fort. No. 7 senior Leah Ramella notched theother Crimson win, 8-10, 9-4, 10-8, 9-2 oversenior Bebeth Schenck.
Both teams had breezed into the final round ofthe tournament. Harvard shut out Cornell 9-0 onFriday with all Crimson players turning in cleansheets--no one lost a game. On Saturday, Harvardmade similar short work of Trinity winning 8-1.
The Tigers blanked Brown 9-0 on Friday and sentPenn packing 7-2 on Saturday to setup the finalmatch.
Despite dropping to an Ivy rival, the loss wasjust Harvard's first of a season that still is notover. Harvard will host Yale on Wednesday.
With a win at the Murr Center, the Crimson canclaim at least one championship this season--anIvy League championship.
But, for a team that has dominated collegesquash for so long it would be a Pyrrhic title andthe season as dominating as it was, still adisappointment.
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