Women's Squash Wins Consol Finals

PRINCETON, NJ – Williams took down Drexel University to come away with a win in the consolation finals of the Kurtz Cup (B Division). After upsetting Middlebury in the consolation finals the previous day, the Ephs were again the underdog for Sunday's contest. Williams lost the regular season match 5-4 when the Ephs traveled to Philadelphia, but proved resilient and prevailed over the Dragons 6-3 to win the consolation finals.

The match started off on a rocky note, with Drexel taking two out of the three first round matches. Lily Grant (#6) lost in three close games with game scores 11-7, 11-9 and 13-11. Caroline Sawin (#3) had a tough match as well. Sawin showed some life in the third game, winning it 11-7, but her opponent proved too skilled and she fell in four games. Maria Pylypiv (#9) was the lone first- round win for the Ephs, beating her opponent in three quick games.

With Williams down 2-1, it was imperative that the Ephs pushed back in the second round of matches, and they did just that – with all three players winning. Charlotte Walsh (#8) dominated her opponent 11-0 in the first game, and did not let up while winning her match 3-0. Ellen Coombe (#5) also had a strong performance, downing her opponent in three games as well. Co-captain Ellie O'Neill (#2) showed impressive leadership and skill on the court in her match. After losing the first game 11-7, O'Neill stormed back to take the next three games.

Williams now found themselves up 4-2 in the overall match score, needing just one out of the three final round matches to get to their fifth point. Alyssa Ritchie (#7) fell shy of getting the last point for the Ephs and was defeated 16-14 in the third game of her 3-0 loss. The match was now up to sophomore Nicole Feshbach (#4) and senior co-captain Alyssa Northrop (#1). Feshbach handled her opponent easily in their first game, but then found herself down 2-1 after her opponent won the next two. Feshbach was not fazed however, and came back to win the fourth game and dominated the fifth game 11-2 to win her match 3-2 and get that winning fifth point for the Ephs.

Northrop was still playing on the next court over when Feshbach finished, but was determined to win her last match of her Williams career. Northrop began the match strong, with two quick wins in the first two games, but her opponent did not let up and took the third game to force the match to a fourth. Northrop's Drexel adversary almost forced a fifth game, finding herself up 9-4, but the Ephs co-captain did not let that happen. Northrop stormed back to take the next and final seven points of the game, winning the match 3-1.

"I'm so proud of the team and how we ended the season on such a high note after struggling in some parts of our season," commented Northrop. "We did not let that deter our moral however, and our performance this weekend proved how mentally and physically tough we are. I could not be happier with how I finished personally and how we finished the season as a team."

Playing in the extra match, senior Gibbs Cullen (#10) also ended her Williams career with a hard fought dominant 3-0 victory. The Ephs will graduate both Cullen and Northrop at the end of the year.

"This was a fabulous weekend for our team," added head coach Zafi Levy. "We beat two teams that defeated us earlier this season. The ladies played their best squash of the year and our captains, Alyssa and Ellie, played so well and led the team to impressive wins."

Williams will finish the season with a number 13 national ranking (after coming into the weekend at number 15). The Ephs will finish with a 15-14 final overall record. 

Individual Results: