This weekend the No. 10 Virginia women’s squash team headed to the Kurtz Cup in Hartford, Conn., which serves as the B Division of the College Squash Association Team Championships. The Cavaliers came into the tournament red-hot, winning 12 of their last 13 matches dating back to the start of December.
Virginia (18-7) kicked off the tournament against No. 15 Middlebury College (13-6) Friday, who the Cavaliers had previously defeated 9-0 Jan. 26. This time around the story was the same for the Panthers, as Virginia left the Kellner Squash Center Friday night with a commanding 9-0 victory.
In the victory, Virginia only dropped three sets across a total of nine matches, with top two freshmen Emma Jinks and Mandy Haywood both rattling off straight set victories. Throughout the season, Haywood and Jinks have lived up to the hype and should prove to be standouts for a young varsity team in the coming years.
In the semifinals, the Cavaliers faced No. 11 Cornell (8-10), who they previously defeated 6-3 in New York City Dec. 1. The narrative flipped during this semifinal match, however, as Cornell defeated Virginia 6-3, with the Big Red sweeping the top five spots.
Determined to put this loss behind them, the Cavaliers moved their focus onto No. 12 Brown (9-9), a team the Cavaliers hadn’t yet faced the whole season. Despite the unfamiliar faces, the Cavaliers were able to post a 6-3 victory, led by freshman Emma Jinks and senior Annie Tyson.
What was most likely the highlight of the day was a grueling five-set victory by junior Sarah Doss to cap off the triumph.
"Wow, what a finish for this team," Coach Mark Allen said. “After a tough and emotional loss yesterday, we managed to refocus and push on to finish at number 11 in the nation, which marks our highest final national ranking in program history.”
After nearly cracking into the top 10 this past season, the second-year Virginia women’s squash team should be poised to complete that top 10 push in its third year. With emerging freshmen Emma Jinks, Mandy Haywood and Caroline Baldwin, there is no doubt in the minds of Cavalier fans that this team has the skill and dedication to make it happen.
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