Philadelphia - The University of Pennsylvania women's squash team (5-4, 1-2 Ivy) won at the top three spots on the ladder, but couldn't pick up wins in the back of the lineup as they fell to top ranked Princeton at Ringe on Wednesday night, 6-3. The Quakers will have a quick turnaround as Wednesday marked their first of three matches in five days. Penn will travel to Dartmouth on Saturday and then to Harvard on Sunday as they continue Ivy play.

Inside the Numbers

* Reeham Salah lost her first game of the season as she lost 11-8 before bouncing back to win the next three. 

* Marie Stephan and Melissa Alves have each provided solid support to Salah at the top of the line-up. Alves is now 3-1 since her return while Stephan is 5-2 this season. The duo once again came out with 3-0 wins. 

* Due to injuries and lack of experience, Penn has struggled in the middle and bottom of the lineup. While the top three are a combined 17-3, the rest of the Penn lineup has gone 27-23. 

* The loss marks Penn's first loss to Princeton at Ringe in 12 years. 

How it Happened

The Penn women's squash team hosted the top ranked Princeton Tigers at the Ringe Wednesday evening. Having been solid at the top of the lineup all year, the Quakers hoped they could get wins in the middle or at the bottom and come away with the victory. Unfortunately, that was not the case. 

Melissa Alves got The Red and Blue on the board early with a 3-0 sweep right out of the gates, but three losses by Haley Scott, Julia Buchholz, and Cameron Munn put the Tigers up 3-1 after the first set of matches. 

Needing to win four of the remaining five Reeham Salah and Marie Stephan took the court along with Nicole Windreich, Clare Kearns, and Lindsay Stanley. 

Salah opened her match losing her first game of the season. The junior had yet to lose a game this year after putting together a 23-match win streak dating back to last season. Salah bounced back however winning the next two and then went on cruise control in the fourth to win 11-3 and the match 3-1. 

Stephan won her first nine points to close out her first game in convincing fashion. While much closer, she also went on to win the next two to close out the 3-0 victory. With the win, the Quakers needed two more matches to win the match. 

However, with a 3-0 loss by Windreich and a 3-1 loss by Stanley who lost the first two games before winning the third game, the Quakers went down 5-3. With not enough matches left to play, Princeton clinched the win. The Tigers officially got the win after Kearns had a 2-0 lead slip to Isabel Hirshberg to fall 3-2. 

What's Next

The Quakers head on the road Saturday on Sunday as they continue their Ivy slate. The Red and Blue will play Dartmouth on Saturday and then finish off at Harvard on Sunday.

Full Scores

1. Reeham Salah (PENN) d. Olivia Fiechter (PRINCE) - 8-11,11-4,11-5,11-3
2. Melissa Alves (PENN) d. Raneem El Torky (PRINCE) - 11-8,11-8,11-6
3. Marie Stephan (PENN) d. Grace Doyle (PRINCE) - 11-3,12-10,11-4
4. Samantha Chai (PRINCE) d. Haley Scott (PENN) - 11-5,11-8,11-4
5. Morgan Steelman (PRINCE) d. Lindsay Stanley (PENN) - 11-2,11-9,10-12,11-7
6. Emme Leonard (PRINCE) d. Julia Buchholz (PENN) - 11-2,11-9,10-12,11-7
7. Kira Keating (PRINCE) d. Cameron Munn (PENN)  - 11-2,11-9,10-12,11-7
8. Isabel Hirshberg (PRINCE) d. Clare Kearns (PENN) - 10-12,8-11,11-4,11-4,11-6 
9. Madison Soukup (PRINCE) d. Nicole Windreich (PENN) - 11-3,11-6,11-5
10 (EXH). Kate Feeley (PRINCE) d. Meg Frantz (PENN) - 11-3,11-5,11-4