PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The fourth-ranked University of Pennsylvania women's squash team fell to fifth-seeded Yale, 6-3, in the quarterfinal round of the Howe Cup on Friday, ending its quest for a CSA national team championship.
The first wave was highlighted by
Franka Vidovic,
Ashna Tumuluri, and
Grace Lavin. Tumuluri and Lavin both fell in three games, finishing within minutes apart. Vidovic started off strong, with an 11-8 win in Game 1, but was edged in the next three at No. 2 and the Quakers trailed 3-0.
Penelope Oh,
Natasha Pensler and
Avni Anand were up next for Penn. Oh fell in her match in three games at No. 9, giving the Bulldogs the 4-0 edge.
With Yale needing just one more win to secure the match, Pensler battled to a four-game victory to give the Quakers their first point of the day. Pensler won Game 1, dropped Game 2, but came back to win the next two in 33 minutes at No. 6, making the score 4-1. Anand then kept hope alive by winning her match in four games, taking three in a row after losing Game 1 at No. 3. That pulled Penn within two, 4-2, as the third and final wave got underway.
Emma Wolf opened her match at No. 7 with a 13-11 win in Game 1. She then dropped Game but won the next two and Quakers trailed by just one overall, 4-3. However, Yale was able to secure the match victory as
Sohaila Ismail fell in four games at No. 1, and
Jana Dweek was swept at No. 4.
Results
- Elisabeth Ross (Yale) def. Sohaila Ismail (Penn) 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4
- Sneha Sivakumar (Yale) def. Franka Vidovic (Penn) 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9
- Avni Anand (Penn) def. Christy Tin Yan Lau (Yale) 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4
- Gigi Yeung (Yale) def. Jana Dweek (Penn) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
- Meghna Sreedhar (Yale) def. Ashna Tumuluri (Penn) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
- Natasha Pensler (Penn) def. Layla Johnson (Yale) 12-10, 14-16, 11-5, 11-8
- Emma Wolf (Penn) def. Rashi Goverdhanam (Yale) 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4
- Lindsay Westerfield (Yale) def. Grace Lavin (Penn) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8
- Joy Qu (Yale) def. Penelope Oh (Penn) 11-1, 11-5, 11-7
Up Next
Although Penn is no longer in competition for a CSA National Championship, the Quakers will take on Cornell at 3:00 p.m. at the Arlen Spector Squash Center, in the consolation portion of the bracket.
#FightOnPenn
