W. Squash grabs win at Princeton

Last night the Penn women's squash team claimed its biggest win of the season thus far. Against Ivy League archrival and No. 4 Princeton, the Quakers were able to score a convincing 6-3 win. "This is big," Penn coach Jim Martel said, "because Princeton is ranked fourth overall and third in the Ivy League." The Quakers are now in the midst of a five-match winning streak that includes wins over Franklin and Marshall, Bowdoin, George Washington and Williams. The past three weeks have seen the Quakers in top form. Senior co-captain Runa Reta has remained undefeated at No. 1 and has managed to defeat players such as Trinity's defending national individual collegiate champion Amina Helal by a decisive 3-0 score. And last night, Reta trampled another national champion when she defeated Princeton's freshman phenom and Canadian national champion Ruchika Kumar. "I've played her before so I knew what to do," Reta said of Kumar. "But I thought we all played really well and came through under hard conditions. I think we've come a long way. So far we've achieved all of our goals." Martel agreed and cited the Quakers' hard work and determination as sources of this season's success. "There's not even any comparison [between this year and last]," Martel said, "Last year, we just didn't have the fire power to battle with other teams." The Quakers' victory was a particularly sweet one because last year, the Red and Blue fell to the Tigers in a 6-3 decision. This year, however, the tables were turned, and the Quakers lost games only at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 spots. "I was proud of them," Martel said. "It doesn't matter who wins or loses as long as five of us win. It's a team effort, and we can get wins from anywhere." As usual, the top of the Quakers' ladder provided the momentum the team needed to rally to victory. While Reta opened the match with a win over Kumar, fellow senior co-captain Dafna Wegner easily handed her All-American opponent, Patricia Gadsden, a 3-0 loss at the No. 2 spot. At No. 3, sophomore Linda McNair notched her fourth-straight win when she defeated Princeton All-American Annie Rein-Weston, 3-0. The Quakers did not fare so well in the middle of the ladder, as the Princeton sophomore trio of Anne Warner, Francis McKay and Frances Comey each defeated freshmen Lorin Riley and Tyler Pearce, a Daily Pennsylvanian writer, and sophomore Rohini Gupta. "It was kind of discouraging," Riley said of her loss. "But last year, they won six matches, so we're improving." At numbers seven through nine, freshmen Colleen Gurda, Melissa Cosgrave and Lily Evans were able to tip the scales in the Quakers' favor by defeating each of their opponents to secure a victory for Penn. "I thought we were all really focused," Evans said. "We pulled together and played well both individually and as a team. We knew going into it that they were going to be tough, and they were just as strong as we thought they would be. I think this win will give us a lot more confidence." In the coming weeks, the Quakers will play key matches against Ivy League competitors No. 2 Harvard and No. 5 Dartmouth and will look to move up from their No. 6 ranking. "I think we just need to keep on doing what we've been doing," Riley said. "Hopefully, we'll keep on winning."

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