Harvard Looks for Repeat as CSA Champion

There is no rest for the weary.

A mere six days after losing the Ancient Eight crown to Yale, the Harvard women’s squash team (9-1, 5-1 Ivy) will take the court again later today to compete in the College Squash Association Team Championship Tournament at Princeton.

Just last week, the Crimson seemed well on its way to recapturing the Howe Cup as it dismantled No. 3 Trinity with a resounding 7-2 victory, taking all six matches in the second and third cycles.

But Harvard’s fortune took a serious blow after dropping a heartbreaker against the then-No. 2 Bulldogs last Saturday, 5-4. This weekend the Crimson looks to bounce back and recapture the number one spot.

While there is no questioning the talent, depth and coaching of Harvard, it remains to be seen if the Crimson can move on and refocus after losing its top ranking, its 21-game winning streak, and the Ivy League crown.

But according to three-time All-American and captain Alisha Mashruwala, that should not be a problem.

“The mental mindset is very positive right now,” Mashruwala said. “I think playing a close, competitive match was a learning experience for all of us, and I think we are definitely going to come back stronger this weekend.”

Harvard, slotted in the second spot, will face Ivy foe Cornell—captained by Harvard standout Laura Gemmell’s sister, Jenn—in the first round of the Howe Cup Championship this afternoon. Earlier this season in Ithaca, the Crimson quickly dispatched the Big Red (5-5, 2-4) in decisive fashion with a 9-0 rout. Five of the nine players, including Harvard’s No. 5 Natasha Kingshott and No. 7 Cece Cortes, won their matches in straight sets.

In all likelihood, the Crimson will move on to the second round tomorrow to face either the sixth seed, Stanford (7-5), or, more likely, the dark horse, No. 3 Trinity (13-2, 1-0 NESCAC).

With last week’s loss against Harvard in mind, the Bantams made a statement by punishing Princeton last Sunday, 8-1, to head into the CSA championships. Led by junior captain Pamela Hathway, the second-ranked player in the nation, Trinity will likely attempt to play bracket buster and knock off Harvard.

If the Crimson makes it past the second round, the squad could face a rematch against Yale in the championship.

“The last game was a tough loss for us ... but, I think the loss is really motivating our team,“ said Laura Gemmell, the nation’s number one player.

After prevailing against Harvard during the preseason and eking out another win last Saturday, the Bulldogs (14-0, 5-0) have rolled into the CSA championships with everything going for them. Sporting a flawless record and 10 top-100 players, Yale possesses the firepower to take home the Howe Cup and spoil Harvard’s quest for back-to-back championships.

Logan Greer, Sarah Toomey, and Millie Tomlinson, numbers three, four, and 10 in the nation, respectively, will look to lead the Bulldogs through tournament play.

With weaker opposition in the top half of the bracket, Yale’s road to the championship will take it past No. 8 Dartmouth and either No. 4 Princeton or No. 5 Penn.

Gemmel, Harvard’s ace who has never lost a match in her collegiate career, will look to lead Harvard to the championship—a place the Crimson was projected to reach from the first preseason poll.

Only this time, the Crimson would play the underdog to Yale’s alpha dog.

Gemmell, along with Mashruwala will look to continue her solid play, but other standout players—including national number seven, Junior Nirasha Guruge, and ninth ranked Senior June Tiong—will need to step up to avoid being swept again by Yale’s power players.

The Crimson knows that repeating last year’s championship-winning performance will be no easy feat. But, at the same time, after a regular season marked by both triumph and upset losses, Harvard knows what it will take to silence the naysayers in New Haven and around the Ivy League.

“A lot of the players have been watching the video of their matches this week and seeing what went wrong and what they can change tactically,” Gemmell said. “A clear game plan will make the difference if we do meet [the Bulldogs] in the final.”

During this tournament, the Crimson will look to prove if the third time really is the charm and possibly cement the status of what could be a budding dynasty.

“The most important thing is being able to support your teammates, really pushing them and believing in each other,” Mashruwala said, “Everyone is excited to go out there and show everyone what they have.”