New Haven, CT — The Howe Cup (women’s A Division) of the College Squash Association National Team Championships began at noon today.
Top-seeded Harvard opened against 8th-ranked Cornell. This was the 23rd meeting between the two schools. The Crimson were a perfect 22-0 against Cornell entering the match. Harvard continued their streak, defeating the Big Red, 9-0. Harvard, who is undefeated since January 2015, is seeking their 16th national team championship.
The 4/5 match-up featured Connecticut powers Trinity and Yale. During the regular season, the Bantams defeated Yale, 8-1, in New Haven. The regular season match featured two five-game and two four-game matches. Vocal crowds supporting both schools were in attendance for today’s quarterfinal. Trinity won the match, 7-2, to advance. They will face Harvard on Saturday.
Fresh off a 5-4 victory over Trinity to close the regular season, Princeton faced Stanford to open the Howe Cup. During the regular season, Princeton and Stanford met for a neutral site match, at Yale. The Tigers won that meeting, 7-2. In today’s rematch, Princeton won 8-1. The 3rd-ranked Tigers appear focused on the national championship.
It has been sixteen years since Penn won the national championship. The first step in claiming this year’s title was a meeting with Columbia. During the regular season, Penn shutout the Lions. Today, the Quakers captured their ninth straight victory with a 9-0 win over Columbia.
In tomorrow’s semifinals, Harvard will face Trinity and Penn will meet Princeton. In the consolation semifinals, Stanford will meet Columbia and Yale will face Cornell. All matches start at noon.
