Women's Squash Wins Ivy League Championship

Nothing could be sweeter than winning the Ivy League women’s squash championship over the only other undefeated team in the conference.

Well, maybe one thing could be sweeter-—taking that victory over the same Yale team that cost Harvard a berth in the Howe Cup finals last weekend.

In a match that would determine both the Ivy title, the Crimson (8-1, 6-0 Ivy) capped its 2003 season in dramatic fashion with a 5-4 triumph over the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1) last night.

“It’s so great to end the season on this note,” junior co-captain Louisa Hall said.

Harvard, despite having defeated Yale in two scrimmages earlier in the season, fell 8-1 to the Bulldogs last weekend in the semifinals of the national championship tournament in New Haven.

Still smarting from the upset, the Crimson went into last night’s match with a lot to prove.

“Last weekend was just a dress rehearsal,” sophomore Lindsey Wilkins said.

Hall’s bout at No. 1 against Yale freshman Michell Quibell proved to be the deciding match last night, and both teams gathered to watch the crucial battle, punctuating awe-filled silence with raucous cheering at the end of every point.

Yet Hall, who had lost to Quibell in four games at the Howe Cup, was unaware that her contest was the rubber match.

After narrowly dropping the first game 10-8, Hall stormed back to grab the second, 9-0. Trailing 3-6 in the third game, she rallied to win it 9-6.

In the final game, the score stagnated at 6-5 for more than ten minutes as both players disputed calls and swapped serves. Finally, Hall was able to put Quibell away 10-8 to give her team the match and the title.

“It was always in the cards that [Hall] was going to pull a big one out,” said Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa.

But Bajwa stressed that the final outcome was as dependent on the result of sophomore Stephanie Hendricks’ match at No. 9 as it was on the No. 1 matchup.

“Stephanie’s been a rock for us,” Bajwa said of Hendricks, who lost only one match all season.

Hendricks, the only Harvard player to win against Yale last weekend, again defeated Ruth Kelley, 9-6, 9-3, 5-9, 9-2.

At No. 2, Wilkins was able to exact revenge upon her junior squash nemesis Amy Gross. After an agonizing, five-game loss to Gross last weekend, Wilkins stormed back with a 9-3, 9-7, 9-4 defeat.

Freshman Moira Weigel, playing in the third spot, was unable to fend off Frances Ho despite a rowdy cheering section whooping and holding up signs spelling Weigel’s name.

“That was the most supportive crowd ever,” Weigel said. “I wish I could have pulled out a win for them.”

Co-captain Ella Witcher, closed out her Harvard career with a 9-4, 9-6, 8-10, 9-3 victory at No. 7, pulling the Crimson into a 4-4 tie and setting the stage for Hall’s climactic finale.

The crowd erupted as Witcher hugged her ecstatic coach.

“Ella played a captain’s match,” Bajwa said.

But Witcher said she was just happy to have had such a memorable and competitive senior season.

“This was a great way to end it,” Witcher said. “[Beating Yale] made it so much sweeter.”

—Staff writer Lisa J. Kennelly can be reached at kennell@fas.harvard.edu.