Curtain call at Ringe

For the four seniors on the women’s squash team, tonight will soon be a very bittersweet memory.

The senior class of Kristen Lange, Britt Hebden, Christina Matthias and Sydney Scott that has compiled a 44-8 record since first stepping on the court three seasons ago will play at Ringe Courts for the final time against long-time Ivy foe Princeton.

“The senior class has done incredibly well,” coach Jack Wyant said.

“I don’t think we were a top three team until they arrived,” he added. “And we’ve been in the top four every year that they’ve been here.”

For the past three years, the showdown with the Tigers (3-1, 2-0 Ivy) has proved to have defining consequences, with the winner of the match going on to become the Ivy League champion.

Luckily for the Quakers, several factors are working in their favor.

Not only is Penn (9-1, 3-0) playing at home ­— the team has only lost one game at Ringe Courts in the past three years — but the Quakers are also relatively healthy while Princeton has been plagued by injuries.

“Because of the atmosphere, you play differently at home versus another court,” senior Kristen Lange said. “You’ve played on these courts for so long you know it like the back of your hand.”

While the Tigers are three-time reigning Howe Cup national champions, they recently fell to the No. 7 spot in the College Squash Association rankings.

The injured Princeton lineup lost its season opener to then-No. 7 Stanford, a team that Penn defeated 9-0 in the Stanford Round Robin.

Furthermore, the Tigers are largely untested as they have yet to play a top five team.

Nevertheless Wyant, a former Tiger, is well aware of the talent and pedigree of his opponent.

“[The ranking] is just a number. They are good,” Wyant said. “They’ve had some back luck with injuries but they are a very deep team just like we are.”

Princeton freshman Julie Cerulo, who has taken over the No. 1 position due to an injury to senior Amanda Seibert, is undefeated on the season.

But after winning their first nine games, the Red and Blue are entering with a new attitude following a narrow loss to No. 1 Trinity last week.

“I think the experience was important even though the result was not what we wanted,” Wyant said.

“We’re a young team with five freshmen in the top 10 [of Penn’s ladder],” he added, “so every match they get against a top-five team will improve their game.”

While the match against Trinity emphasized the role of the freshman, tonight is all about the seniors.

“Its been a great four years and everyone has been amazing,” Lange said. “And tomorrow hopefully will just solidify all the hard work we’ve done at Penn.

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