The Penn women’s squash team finally got the competitive afternoon they’d been waiting for all season.
After only losing three games during its past nine matches, No. 3 Penn fell to No. 2 Trinity 5-4 Saturday afternoon in Hartford, Conn.
The most anticipated matchup of the day was in the No. 1 spot, where both the Quakers’ Kristen Lange and the Bantam’s Pamela Hathway entered undefeated.
Though the first three games came down to the wire, Hathway had her way in the fourth game, handing Lange her first loss of the season, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5.
“Kristen was certainly disappointed,” coach Jack Wyant said. “It was a tough match against a good opponent and Pam just played better.”
It wasn’t just the marquee clash that seemed to be a battle of evenly matched girls. Almost every game in every match came down to the end, with six games going into extra points.
The Bantams (8-0) came out on top in the No. 2 and No. 3 matchups, with both Nabilla Ariffin and Sydney Scott losing 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, despite scoring at least seven points in six of the seven games.
The Quakers (9-1, 2-0 Ivy) got their four victories in the middle of the ladder, highlighted by Christina Matthias’ 3-2 victory in the No. 8 spot.
The senior won her second and third games after losing the first. However, her opponent, Emery Holton would not give up. She forced a fifth game, which Matthias went on to win 11-7.
In the No. 7 spot, Annie Madeira had the Quakers’ only sweep while extending her winning streak to fifteen games.
“Annie is a physically and mentally strong player.” Wyant said. “If her shots aren’t inch-perfect, she can still rely on her athleticism and her ability to get balls back.”
While Madeira’s streak was extended, Britt Hebden’s eight-game win streak was snapped. Hebden was defeated 3-1 in the No. 5 spot by Trinity freshman Robyn Hodgson.
Even with a blemish on its record, the team is ready to move on, learn from its mistakes and use the Trinity match for motivation in their final home game of the season against a one-loss Princeton team on Wednesday at Ringe Courts.
“I think we need to be more proactive on Wednesday,” Wyant said. “My sense was the team was really disappointed after the match ended, and is eager to get back on the court against a top team and show that they can play much better than we did [Saturday].”
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