Yale Drops Crimson to Stop Winning Streak

Undefeated since February of 2009, the Harvard women’s squash team looked like the best team in the country. The Crimson’s easy 7-2 win over No. 3 Trinity on Wednesday seemed to cement that status.

But that all changed Saturday afternoon.

In a tightly contested Ivy League Championship match, No. 1 Harvard (9-1, 5-1 Ivy) fell to No. 2 Yale (14-0, 5-0) at the Barnaby Courts, 5-4.

“It was a close, competitive match,” sophomore Laura Gemmell said. “Our team played well…[but] we just ended up losing.”

Both teams came into the encounter sporting undefeated records and three players ranked in the top 10 nationally.

“[Yale has] a lot of depth and really talented players,” Gemmell said.

The first round of matches didn’t bode well for the Crimson. After senior No. 9 Alexandra Zindman lost 3-0, captain No. 3 Alisha Mashruwala followed suit, also failing to win a game. Though the senior took the lead at the beginning of the third set, Bulldog Sarah Toomey staged a mini-comeback of her own to close out another victory for Yale.

“[Toomey] played very well, [and] I have to respect her,” said Mashruwala. “She probably played the best squash of her life. I wish I were more consistent.”

But Harvard escaped with a win in the first three matches thanks to junior No. 6 Cece Cortes, who overwhelmed her Bulldog counterpart, 11-1, 11-6, 11-2.

In the next round of contests, junior No. 2 Nirasha Guruge faltered in the first game, 12-10, but then began the next set with a 5-1 lead. Frustration with let calls mounted, and she lost consecutive points after an unforced error on a return of serve, catalyzing a 12-10, 11-7, 11-7 loss at the hands of Millie Tomlinson.

“[Tomlinson is] a very well-known [player]…[with] a lot of experience,” Gemmell said.

Meanwhile, sophomore No. 5 Natasha Kingshott emerged victorious in a tense match. In the second set, Kingshott was up, 8-5, before opponent Rhetta Nadas leveled the score at 10-10. Nadas and Kingshott went back and forth, until Kingshott hit an unforced error that sailed over the back glass, causing her to lose the set, 19-17.

But Kingshott quickly bounced back, winning the first four points of the third set en route to a 11-6, 19-17, 11-5, 11-3 victory that left Nadas furiously storming off the court.

“[After she lost the second game], Natasha took it as a fighting opportunity,” said Mashruwala. “She regained her focus and played really well the rest of the match.”

On the other court, senior No. 8 Bethan Williams gave the Crimson its second win of the day, dropping a close first set, 10-12, before posting three consecutive wins, 11-3, 11-5, 11-6.

Going into the final three matches, the score was tied 3-3, with senior No 4. June Tiong, sophomore No 7. Sarah Mumanachit, and last year’s national champion, sophomore No.1 Laura Gemmell, still left to play for Harvard.

Because of her consistent strategic ball placement right over the lower red line, Gemmell easily took care of Yale’s Logan Greer, 3-0, giving the Crimson a 4-3 lead. The sophomore has yet to lose a match in her collegiate career.

Tiong fought hard in the first set of the match but still lost, 11-9. She recuperated quickly and jumped out to a 5-0 lead, only to fall 12-10 in the second set and 11-3 in the third.

“June played someone with very good hands, and it’s hard when someone is on a roll,” said Mashruwala.

Simultaneously, Harvard’s Mumanachit was having a battle against the Bulldogs’ Caroline Reigeluth.

The closest match of the day became responsible for determining the Ivy League champion.

Mumanachit won the first game, 11-6, then lost the next two by scores of 11-7, 11-6, respectively.

The sophomore came roaring back to settle the score at 2-2 with one game left to play. Though down early in the final set, 10-4, she made it close, tallying three unanswered points. But in the end, her efforts fell short, as she dived across the floor and missed the final shot to give Yale the victory.

“Just watching June and Sarah, I know they felt pressure to win,” Gemmell said of the day’s final two bouts. “I was really proud of the way they played.”

“Sarah is one of our most consistent players, [and] I give her a lot of credit,” added Mashruwala. “She has a lot of courage, and tried her best and played her heart out.”

But in the end, a loss is a loss.

“I mean it’s upsetting of course, that we weren’t able to pull out a win,” Mashruwala said. “But everyone played with all of their hearts, and that’s what is most important. Win or lose, they did an amazing job.”