The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year

The Cardinal’s fast start proved insurmountable

Despite the loss, a few Cavaliers have emerged as national stars.
Despite the loss, a few Cavaliers have emerged as national stars.

Virginia women’s squash was back in action Monday for the first time in over a month when they traveled to California to take on Stanford. In a bout between conference foes who are both MASC championship contenders, the Cavaliers (4-3, 0-1 MASC) were defeated by the Cardinal (4-0, 1-0 MASC) by a 6-3 margin.

Stanford started the matches with a point to prove, quickly obtaining a 4-0 lead. Highlighted by freshman Riya Navani defeating Virginia’s reliable graduate Meagan Best in a first position upset, positions five, seven and eight were all marked as wins for the Cardinal. Navani, along with four of her teammates, have yet to lose during the campaign. 

Senior Maureen Foley broke the Cavalier deadlock playing from the sixth position, improving to 4-2 on the year. Foley’s streaky runs of form from previous years seem to be a thing of the past, and she has been one of Virginia’s most solid contributors throughout this season. 

The Cavaliers’ success turned out to be short-lived, as freshman Maria Min’s loss in the third position clinched the win for Stanford. Although the rest of the games were a formality, junior Lina Tammam and freshman Claire Pellegrino earned victories in the second and ninth positions, respectively. Tammam is now 4-2 on the season, and Pellegrino is an impressive 6-0 in her first collegiate campaign.

If Monday’s contest was any indicator of Virginia’s chances to win their conference in early March, then there is work to be done. The Cavaliers will need to combine their wealth of experience in the higher positions with the new, raw talent in the lower positions to make a splash in February.

Virginia will hope to get back to their winning ways over the weekend when they face Dickinson and Drexel Saturday and Sunday. The games are set to start at 1 p.m. and noon, respectively.

Local Savings

Comments

Latest Video

Latest Podcast

Ahead of Lighting of the Lawn, Riley McNeill and Chelsea Huffman, co-chairs of the Lighting of the Lawn Committee and fourth-year College students, and Peter Mildrew, the president of the Hullabahoos and third-year Commerce student, discuss the festive tradition which brings the community together year after year. From planning the event to preparing performances, McNeil, Huffman and Mildrew elucidate how the light show has historically helped the community heal in the midst of hardship.