CSA Women's Team Championships Central
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - On the first day of CSA Team Championships play on the Brady Squash Courts at Yale, the 29th-ranked Haverford College women's squash team (8-8) was edged by No. 28 Colby (3-13), 5-4, in thrilling Epps Cup quarterfinal action.
In the first individual match of the evening to finish, Maisie Smith registered a sweep of D'Arcy Carlson while surrendering just 13 total points to the Colby player at the sixth flight (11-4, 11-3, 11-6). The win put a crucial early tally on the Haverford side of the ledger, helping to set the tone for the Fords with the early victory in their back pocket. Colby responded, promptly tying the match at 1-1, as Mariam Mansoor swept Isabelle Johnson at the top flight (11-4, 11-9, 11-2).
The next match to reach conclusion saw Urgyen Wangmo outlast Tiana Issa in a five-game battle. Wangmo grabbed the first two games by 11-2 and 11-3 finals, respectively, but Issa responded with a pair of wins to knot proceedings at two games each. Heading to the fifth and final game, Wangmo proved her mettle with an 11-9 triumph, giving Haverford its second win (11-2, 11-3, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9) and the momentum heading into the second grouping.
In the next round of matches to hit the courts, Sophia Jackson kept up her stellar senior season with a win over Greta Drefke in straight games (11-4, 11-9, 11-7) at the eight flight to put Haverford up 3-1. Kaitlin Reese was defeated by Sydney Ku at the second spot on the ladder (12-10, 11-9, 11-6 ), and Sunny Chai was later edged by Madeline Latimore, taking the third game before falling in four at the fifth flight (11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8). With the two wins, Colby tied the overall match score at 3-3 heading into the final grouping.
The Mules put themselves on the brink of clinching with Stephanie Keane sweeping Shreya Singh at the fourth flight (11-6, 11-8, 11-9), but Caroline Smith promptly finished her sweep of Sabrina Rabins at the ninth spot (11-4, 11-6, 12-10) to knot the match score yet again, with the scoreboard reading 4-4 through eight full matches.
The last match to reach conclusion was also the most captivating as New Haven native Tia Brown fought back valiantly from an early 0-2 hole at the third spot on the ladder, taking exhilarating 11-3 and 11-9 victories over Sabrina Teope to tie the deciding contest, ensuring that the result of the overall meeting would rest on a fifth and final game. Teope proved to be too much in that fifth frame, notching an 11-3 win to send her team on to the semifinals (11-6, 11-9, 3-11, 9-11, 11-3). In the exhibition, Hannah Adler defeated Frances Treadwell in straight games (11-9, 11-7, 15-13).
Haverford will return to action tomorrow at Yale, facing off with No. 32 Bucknell in the Epps Cup consolation semifinals. Action is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. Haverford has faced Bucknell twice this season, taking both matchups at home earlier this month.