No. 1 Yale Tops No. 5 Princeton In Howe Cup, Advances to Finals Against No. 2 Harvard

PRINCETON, N.J. – Today, the No. 1 Bulldogs (16-0, 6-0 Ivy) continued their undefeated season with a 6-3 win in the semifinals of the Howe Cup over No. 5 Princeton (9-4, 3-3 Ivy).  The strong performance puts Yale into the finals of the national championship, where the team will face No. 2 Harvard (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) for the second time in nine days.  

With Princeton's hometown advantage (the tournament is taking place on its home court), and its upset victory over No. 4 Penn, there was reason for concern for the Bulldogs.  However, with dominant wins at the top by senior captain Logan Greer and freshman Millie Tomlinson, good wins by freshman Kim Hay and junior Alexandra van Arkel, and five-game victories by junior Rhetta Nadas and senior Caroline Reigeluth, the Bulldogs came out on top.  Sarah Toomey, Katie Ballaine, and Gwen Tilghman all dropped their matches and will look to rebound against Harvard.

The Harvard match takes place Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Princeton's Jadwin Gym.  On Feb. 12 Yale (No. 2 at the time) went on the road to play then-No. 1 Harvard and won in thrilling fashion.  Tied four matches to four, Reigeluth went to five games before pulling off the win to take both the Ivy League championship and the nation's No. 1 ranking. 

Last time, Yale got wins from Tomlinson, Toomey, Hay and van Arkel, in addition to Reigeluth's victory.  The Bulldogs will need all the same wins or somebody else to step up in order to take the national championship. 

Follow the action tomorrow live at:

http://collegesquashassociation.com/2011-womens-national-team-championships/

report by Calvin Bohn '14, Yale Sports Publicity