Coming off their second-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference championships in early February, the No. 7 Virginia women’s squash traveled to Boston, Mass., to compete in the Howe Cup — the College Squash Association Women’s Team Championships — for the first time in program history.
The Cavaliers (14-6) battled through a weekend of tough competition and finished 1-2 to claim seventh place at their first ever Howe Cup.
Friday
In the program’s first Howe Cup match, the Cavaliers faced a big test in the form of No. 2 Trinity. Things started well for Virginia as senior Sydney Maxwell beat her opponent in straight sets to give the Cavaliers an early 1-0 lead. Maxwell’s win would end up being Virginia’s lone victory on the day, however, as the Bantams (15-2) responded by rattling off eight consecutive wins to close the match.
The loss bumped the Cavaliers into the consolation bracket and set up a match with No. 3 Princeton.
Saturday
Saturday’s match against Princeton was a rematch for Virginia, who lost 6-3 to the Tigers (12-3) on Nov. 20.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, round two ended up being a mirror image of the first matchup as Princeton again bested Virginia by a score of 6-3.
The Cavaliers didn’t go down without a fight, though, as they picked up wins in straight sets by sophomore Meagan Best at the top of ladder and senior Emma Jinks at the third position as well as a win in four sets by freshman Nicolina Tessitore at the ninth position.
Sunday
On the final day of competition at the Howe Cup, Virginia took on No. 4 Columbia in another rematch of an early-season loss. The Cavaliers and Lions (7-7) went back and forth to begin the match, trading wins in the first four games.
Virginia then sprung into action, winning four of the match’s final five games on their way to a 6-3 win.
The big win for the Cavaliers propelled them to a seventh-place national ranking, their highest ever at the end of a season.
The Howe Cup marked the end of Virginia’s season of team competitions, but the CSA individual championships will begin Friday in Philadelphia, Pa.
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