CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Yale women's squash finished its season on a high note with a convincing 6-3 win over sixth-seeded Cornell in the consolation final of the Howe Cup on a snowy Sunday afternoon in Cambridge. 

The weather conditions in the Boston area had forced George Washington to forfeit its match against Yale Saturday afternoon in order to make the return trip to Washington, D.C. Thanks to the default, the Bulldogs — who also beat George Washington 8-1 during the regular season — advanced to the final round of the consolation bracket to face Cornell. 

The Big Red, after losing 9-0 to No. 3 Trinity on Friday, handled No. 7 Columbia 8-1 on Saturday to earn a rematch with Yale. However, the second meeting between the two teams would end as the first did, with a 6-3 margin in Yale's favor. 

Before the contest, Coach Dave Talbott said it would be an important match for the team to "bounce back" after a tough loss to Princeton in the first round.

Talbott added that Princeton's semifinal result — a narrow 5-4 loss to eventual champions Harvard — shows how closely Yale trailed this years' top teams.

The victory against Cornell showcased the depth of Yale's lineup as the Bulldogs swept the fifth through ninth spots. While three of those matches went to Yale by comfortable margins, sophomore Shiyuan Mao and junior Georgia Blatchford had to earn their wins the hard way, each going a full five games to seal Yale victories.

The highlight of the top four came from senior Shihui Mao. Mao found herself down 2-1 after dropping the first and third games of her match at No. 2, but asserted herself with an emphatic 11-2 win in the fourth frame before hanging on for an 11-9 victory in the fifth and deciding game. While Cornell took the other three matches, none came easily to the Big Red and could have turned the other way with swings of just a few points.

While this was the last competition for Yale as a team this season, several Bulldogs will continue to train for the CSA Individual Championships, to be held the weekend of Feb. 27 at Princeton.

Report by Evan Brown '16, Yale Sports Publicity