No. 1 Women’s Squash to Face No. 8 Williams in CSA Team Championships

Pictured: Junior June Tiong owns a 4-3 mark at the No. 3 spot this season.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography

Harvard Wins 17th Ivy League Title, Barhite Award
Complete CSA Championships Bracket
CSA Video Stream of CSA Championships Semifinal and Final

The Particulars:
After a two-week break from action, the top-ranked Harvard women’s squash team travels to New Haven, Conn., to play No. 8 Williams in the opening round of the College Squash Association national team championships. The Crimson concluded the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record, winning the 17th Ivy League title in program history with a 6-0 mark against Ancient Eight opponents.

Williams stands at 15-6 overall in the team’s matches this season.

Follow From Home:
The College Squash Association will offer a free live stream of the semifinal and final of the CSA Team Championships this weekend.

Last Time Out:
The top-ranked Crimson wrapped up the regular season with a 9-0 record by defeating archrival Yale, 7-2, in New Haven, Conn., Feb. 13. Harvard clinched sole possession of the Ivy League crown, as well as the Barhite Award, presented annually to the team with the best dual match record in the nation.

About Harvard:
The Crimson, which owns a 5-0 record in matches away from home, has reached the final of the CSA Championships in two of the last three seasons. Harvard has faced three non-conference opponents this year, defeating Williams, 9-0, Trinity, 7-2, and Stanford, 8-1. The team is outscoring opponents 72-9 in matches this season.

Harvard has 10 players on its roster that boast undefeated records entering the CSA team championships, including Laura Gemmell, who is 8-0 at the No. 1 position. Fellow freshman Nathasha Kingshott stands at 8-0 at the No. 5 slot, while co-captain Johanna Snyder owns a 9-0 overall record.

About Williams:
The Ephs are coming off a 9-0 win against George Washington Feb. 14. Williams has played all six Ivy League teams this year, going 2-4, having beaten Dartmouth and Brown by 5-4 scores. The Ephs have emerged with wins in four of their last five matches, taking down Wesleyan, Amherst, Franklin & Marshall and George Washington by identical 9-0 margins.

This Year’s Meeting:
Harvard players did not lose a single game when the Crimson faced the Ephs on Nov. 22 in Williamstown, Mass. The Crimson won all 27 games played as the team improved to 2-0 at the time.

Leader of the Pack:
Harvard enters the CSA Championships as the top seed in the tournament. The Crimson will play No. 8 Williams in the quarterfinals, while other first-round matchups include No. 2 Trinity against No. 7 Stanford, No. 3 seed Penn taking on No. 6 Cornell and No. 4 Princeton facing fifth-seeded Yale.

Dependable Dozen:
Through Harvard’s first nine matches of the season, it has not dropped a match at the No. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9 or 10 positions. The Crimson is a combined 52-0 at those six slots. Harvard has had 12 different players see action at those positions this season.

17 and Growing:
After defeating Yale Feb. 13, the Harvard women’s squash program has captured 17 Ivy League titles. Previously, Harvard had last won the title in 2005-06. The Crimson claimed the crown every year from 1991-92 to 1996-97.

Up Next:
The Crimson prepare for the CSA Individual Championships, which will be hosted by Trinity in Hartford, Conn., March 5-7.