W. Squash Falls to Williams in Finals

They squeaked by once this season, but the women’s squash team failed to defeat Williams when it mattered the most, losing to their rival this weekend at the CSA National Championships in Princeton, N.J. The loss in the CSA finals snapped Cornell’s seven-game win streak.
The Red (10-7), seeded second in the B division, was striving for its second consecutive clinch of that bracket.
“We were seeded tenth overall, so we really wanted to win our bracket and beat Williams,” said freshman Izzy Spyrou.
The championships began on Friday, and Cornell quickly shut out its first opponent, Hamilton College, 9-0, in the first round. The next day the Red was again triumphant, this time prevailing with 8-1 victory over Mt. Holyoke. [img_assist|nid=28210|title=To the wall|desc=The women’s squash team traveled to Princeton, N.J. for the CSA Championships. The Red advanced to the finals before falling to Williams.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
Unfortunately, Cornell could not carry its momentum through to the final round on Sunday, where it faced the top-seeded Ephs, who played in the first division of Nationals last year and were hungry to take the second division — the Hurtz Cup — this time around. Williams defeated Cornell 6-3, to take the title.
The Red beat Williams in a thrilling 5-4 victory Jan. 27, but despite wins from two freshmen, Jenn Gemmell and Izzy Spyrou, as well as one from senior Mairin Barnes, Williams was too much for Cornell this time around.
The Red’s ascent to the finals, however, places it squarely in the No.10 spot in the country.
“Everyone played exceptionally well [in the Williams match], and there were three matches we ended up losing that were really, really close. So we were happy with the way we played,” Spyrou said.
Spyrou was one of the standouts of the tournament for the Red, ending the season with a 3-0 showing in the tournament.
Other notable wins came from sophomore Liza Stokes, who despite an injured back, beat her opponent in four games, and junior Alix Watson, who shut out her opponent in two of her three games.
“Everyone had their ups and downs,” Spyrou said. “So we were fine with where we ended up. The most important thing for us was bonding as a team — having that dynamic, and cheering everyone on.”