Ivy Champ Women's Squash Drops Team Finale, Places Fourth At Howe Cup

Courtesy: Princeton Athletic Communications
Release: 02/17/2013

Courtesy: Beverly Schaefer

Richey Award finalist Julie Cerullo won her final team match 3-0 over Penn.

Senior co-captain Julie Cerullo won her final team match, but it would not be enough for the Princeton women's squash team in the third/fourth match on the final day of the Howe Cup team championships.

Princeton picked up victories at both the No. 6 (Lexi Saunders) and the No. 1 (Cerullo), but Penn built an early advantage and never let the Tigers get back into the match. It was a complete reversal from the regular season, when the Tigers won every close match in a 9-0 sweep of Penn en route to the Ivy League championship.

Saunders split her opening two games before taking control of Yarden Odinak for wins of 11-2 and 11-3 in the final two games. Penn won at both the 3 and 9 spots to open a 2-1 lead, and then swept the middle shift to clinch the match.

Cerullo, the three-time All-America, defeated fellow Richey Award finalist Nabilla Ariffin 3-0 in her final team match for the Tigers. Cerullo will lead a cast of teammates into the individual championships, which will be held in two weeks at Trinity.

PENN 7, PRINCETON 2
1) Julie Cerullo (Pr) d. Nabilla Ariffin 4,7,6
2) Yan Xin Tan (Pe) d. Libby Eyre 5,9,(3),5
3) Rachael Goh (Pe) d. Nicole Bunyan 2,5,4
4) Haidi Lala (Pe) d. Rachel Leizman 8,7,10
5) Pia Trikha (Pe) d. Alex Lunt 9,8,6
6) Lexi Saunders (Pr) d. Yarden Odinak 3,(6),2,3
7) Camille Lanier (Pe) d. Alex Sawin (5),(10),9,6,11
8) Courtney Jones (Pe) d. Tara Harrington (7),(9),7,5,8
9) Chloe Blacker (Pe) d. Hallie Dewey 6,10,(8),7