PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 18 Franklin & Marshall women's squash team earned a 6-3 victory over No. 23 Mount Holyoke in the opening round of the Walker Cup (C Division) bracket at the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships on Friday afternoon.
The Diplomats improved to 8-11 on the year and will square off against No. 19 St. Lawrence in tomorrow's semifinal round, which is slated for a 9:00 a.m. start. Earlier in the day, St. Lawrence took down No. 22 Wellesley by a 7-2 margin to advance.
Mount Holyoke (9-11) earned victories in the top three positions in the contest, but the No.'s 4-9 spots came up huge for F&M, all taking their respective matchups that included five sweeps.
Katherine Perry (No. 4) was tested after dropping her opening game by an 11-9 score but responded with wins in three straight (11-9, 11-5, 11-5), while Kate O'Brien (No. 5) earned an 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 sweep.
Jazmin Matos was dominant from the No. 6 spot with a commanding 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 sweep, while Liz Gatling at No. 7 (11-4, 11-3, 11-9) and Dana Rapisarda at No. 8 (11-9, 11-8, 11-6) encountered little resistance in their victories. Krista Lancione wrapped up the action from the No. 9 position by cruising to the 3-0 sweep (11-0, 11-5, 11-5).
Tomorrow against the Saints, F&M takes on an opponent it edged out earlier in the month with a 6-3 score back on Feb 1. The Diplomats enter competition holding a five-match winning streak and an 11-3 lead in the all-time series; with St. Lawrence's last win coming back in the 2007-08 season.
Results will be updated throughout the day tomorrow and can be found here.
#18 Franklin & Marshall 6, #23 Mount Holyoke 3
1. Randima Ranaweera (MHWSQ) def. Emily Caldwell (F&MW) 11-3, 12-10, 3-11, 12-10
2. Sherouk Khefagy (MHWSQ) def. Roxanna Mead (F&MW) 11-5, 11-4, 11-6
3. Samantha Rosado (MHWSQ) def. Cris Margaret Frias (F&MW) 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 13-11
4. Katherine Perry (F&MW) def. Katrina Intal (MHWSQ) 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5
5. Kate O'Brien (F&MW) def. Elyse Taylor (MHWSQ) 11-6, 12-10, 11-8
6. Jazmin Matos (F&MW) def. Allison Shilling (MHWSQ) 11-2, 11-6, 11-6
7. Elizabeth Gatling (F&MW) def. Sanjna Merchant (MHWSQ) 11-4, 11-3, 11-9
8. Dana Rapisarda (F&MW) def. Xianger Fei (MHWSQ) 11-9, 11-8, 11-6
9. Krista Lancione (F&MW) def. Catherine Ryan (MHWSQ) 11-0, 11-5, 11-5
Exh. Henrietta Goelet (F&MW) def. Amy Sanchez (MHWSQ) 11-2, 11-7, 11-7
