Racquetwomen Travel to Princeton to Cage the Tigers

Take a critical dual-match against an archrival, a bunch of supercooled squash courts, hordes of rude and hostile fans, mix it all together, and what do you get?

The Princeton-Harvard squash match at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton on Sunday.

In past years at Princeton, the courts have been blown with cold air before the match, a move to make it just a little harder for the Crimson players, who are accustomed to playing on warmer courts at Hemenway Gymnasium.

Last year, the Crimson recorded an 8-1 victory against the Tigers, in what Princeton Coach Betty Constable termed "the worst defeat ever for Princeton." She also called the 1987-88 Crimson sqaud "the best ever."

But many feel that this year's Princeton squad is even better.

Princeton is favored at the top with Demer Holleran, Mary Foulk and Hope MacKay, but the Crimson will counter with Tri-Captains Jenny Holleran and Sheila Morrisey and sophomore Stephanie Clark. Harvard's top three are capable of pulling out one or two of the matches. The rest of the line-up is a toss-up.

"It's going to be our toughest match this season," MacKay said. "We're nervous, but we're psyched for a challenge. Harvard has always been strong depth-wise--but this year--we've got a really strong team from one to nine. We can challenge them depth-wise this year."

"We're really looking forward to it," Harvard Coach Steve Piltch said. "Princeton is definitely strong. It'll be a fun match."

While January was a tough month for the Crimson, with injuries, exams and illness, the racquetwomen are looking forward to February and the return of Holleran, Grace Sheffield and Katherine Moffett, who took the semester off.

"Jenny makes a big difference," Piltch said. "She moves everyone else down a spot."

It's Good to be Queen

The Crimson will be the underdog Sunday for the first time since 1986.

"I think everyone is really excited because we have nothing to lose," junior Hope Nichols said. "They have a strong team. They're going to show us how far we've come and far we have to go. We're going in as the underdog, but anything can happen."

"Whether we win or lose we will have nothing to be ashamed of," Piltch said. "We're probably just a shade below where we were last year. Our players from one to five are interchangeable. It should be an exciting match."

The Ivy and national championship race has been painted virtually all Crimson in recent years. This year, Harvard, Princeton and Yale were the early season favorites to win this year's crown, with Princeton the number-one choice of the experts.

But last weekend, Princeton destroyed Yale, 9-0. Make that only Harvard and Princeton as favorites.

Even though Princeton is considered the best team ever assembled by many--the Tigers have recorded shutouts over all four of their opponents this year--the squad is not overly confident about the match.

"We feel pretty good about the way we're playing," Princeton's Jennifer Roos said. "Harvard is going to be our toughest match. We have strong players all the way down the lineup. I think we have the depth to beat Harvard."

"We're not expecting to lose to them," freshman Mary Greenhill said. "We think we have a good chance of winning the match. They're not unbeatable."

One for the Thumb

Since 1984, Harvard has won four out of the last five Ivy titles, and the last two. Princeton was runner-up to the Crimson three of those four times.

"We [the seniors] haven't beaten them during our four years here," Princeton's Holleran said. "It'll be great to beat them. We have to go out there and play our best squash that day."

"It's going to be a great match," Harvard's Tri-captain Liz Reynolds said. "It's clear that they've got one of the best teams ever put together on a collegiate level."

"It has traditionally been one of our biggest matches," Reynolds added. "The odds are on their side."

How good are Princeton's freshmen? Mary Belknap, Marnie Brooke, Roos and MacKay are all playing in the top five. Last year's number-three player, Ann Sawyer, is now playing at the number-seven spot.

Even though Princeton's freshmen are worthy of all the high marks, the Crimson's freshmen should not be overlooked. Greenhill and Brooke Bailey are both playing in the top nine. But freshman Carrie Cunningham is out for the season.

"Our freshmen are ranked nationally," Nichols said. "They add a lot to our lineup in different places. They are also excellent squash players."

"They have five excellent freshmen," Piltch said. "Their number-three player is now playing at number-six or seven. That shows how good their freshmen are."

While Princeton is favored to win, there are intangible factors that determine so many squash matches. The Crimson is hoping that those intangible factors will be on their side this weekend.

While Harvard-Princeton is the focus for the weekend, the Crimson will also face a fast improving Penn squad on Saturday.