Princeton Defeats Racquetwomen

The Harvard women's squash team relinquished all possibilities of maintaining its Ivy and national championship titles on Saturday afternoon, losing 5-4 to the Princeton Tigers.

"We've got as strong a squad as I've seen," long-time Princeton Coach Betty Constable said. "But Harvard is damn good. If we played again, I wouldn't bet on my team."

The Crimson entered the match with a few monkeys on its back. The Orange and Black boast a team of four Ivy players, including the winner of the Princeton Intercollegiate Invitational, three-time All-Conference honoree Mary Faulk, and junior Mary Belknap, who has never lost a collegiate match. In numbers, depth is key for the Princeton squad which balances three seniors, seven juniors and four sophomores in its lineup.

And the Tigers had come off a late January sloshing of Yale, 8-1, the only other viable contender for the national title.

To top it all off, the match was played in Tiger territory, played on unusually cool courts that traditionally trouble the Crimson. Harvard is used to playing on its warmer courts in Hemenway Gym.

Despite the multitude of setbacks, senior Co-Captains Daphne Onderdronk and Stephanie Clark, the sixth-and third-seeds respectively, downed Tiger opponents Margaret Van Orman and Mary Belknap. Neither Princeton player had lost a match in her collegiate career.

Harvard junior Carne Cunningham tore up the courts this weekend, pouncing on Tiger Co-Captain Alexis Anastos in a decisive 15-6 victory. Cunningham also beat her Penn rival in three quick games.

With the match score at Princeton 4, Harvard 3, all eyes turned to freshman first-seed Jordanna Fraiberg and junior Brooke Bailey.

Princeton's first-seed Hope McKay threw the victory into Fraiberg's face. Playing at 2-2 in matches and 14-13 game point for Harvard, Fraiberg just nabbed McKay's low rail to capture the game.

McKay, however, challenged Fraiberg's let and asked for the point.

"I offered her a let," Fraiberg said. "I would have played the point again, because I was confident I could win it."

But McKay wanted an immediate decision.

"So I took the point," Fraiberg said. "I knew I had gotten it."

McKay tossed the ball to the triumphant Fraiberg, deadening the match score at 4-4.

Harvard's Brooke Bailey didn't fare as well as her Crimson counterpart. Bailey could not overcome an early first-game loss to Tiger Jackie Moss and fell, 3-1.

The racquetwomen saw more success down the road at Penn, where they quelled the Quakers, 9-0.