SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Mount Holyoke College squash team captured the 2019 Seven Sisters Championship today on their home courts at the Kendall Sports and Dance Complex. After battling to 7-0 win over Smith, the Lyons took on Vassar in the championship match, posting a 9-0 victory to secure the crown. MHC entered the weekend ranked 22nd in the most recent CSA National Rankings.
It marked the third straight Seven Sisters title for the Lyons and their 11th in program history.
The other matches during the day saw Vassar defeat Wellesley by a 9-0 margin, while Wellesley bested the Pioneers, 9-0 in the consolation match. Senior captains Ragini Ghose, Lessly Portillo and Tanishka Sachidanand represented Mount Holyoke on the All-Tournament Team. Vassar saw Sydney Nemphos and Claire Coss named, while Lumi Kinjo and Eunbie Coe represented Wellesley. Emma Westgate was the honoree from Smith.
In the opening match against the Blue, the Lyons earned a clean sweep across the ladder with straight victories in the first six matches. MHC opened with a 1-0 lead as rookie Giselle Cabrera earned a win by default from seven. Sophomore Kuzivakwashe Madungwe was victorious from two over Toni Woods by an 11-2, 11-1, 11-0 margin, while at four, classmate Genesis Lara Granados earned an 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 win against Westgate. Rookie Melissa Marquez then posted an 11-2, 11-2, 11-4 win over Halley Haruta at six.
Owning a 4-0 lead, the courts changed to the odd matches as sophomore Nicole Lara Granados was victorious over Amrita Acharya at five by an 11-4, 11-1, 11-3 score. Sachidanand bested Smith's Beatrice Chaudoin at three, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3, while sophomore Jennifer Mbah rounded out the match with an 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 win over Betsy Hillier from the top of the ladder.
The championship match saw the Lyons face off against the Brewers for the second time this season. Rookie Mihiliya Kalahe Arachchige grabbed victory from the top of the ladder, besting Nemphos by an 11-2, 11-5, 11-1 margin. At two, senior Nadindhi Udangawa earned an 11-4, 11-1, 11-4 victory against Claire Coss, while from three, Ghose recorded an 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 win over Julia Pollak.
Four saw first year Maeve Watts-Roy earn the win with an 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 win over Amanda Watson, while at five, Portillo was a winner against Alexa Elias by and 11-1, 11-0, 11-7 margin. At six, Mbah bested Allegra von Hirschberg, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9, while Madungwe was an 11-6, 11-4, 11-3 winner over Nicole Pihlstrom at seven. Sachidanand defeated Natalia Lanzoni from eight, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2, while the ninth match was won by sophomore Emma Robson, who recorded an 11-2, 11-2, 11-8 win against Mira Michels-Gualtieri.
Mount Holyoke, who improved to 15-7 with today's wins, returns to the court on Friday, February 22nd at the 2019 CSA Team Championships, hosted at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Match times and opponents will be announced prior to the event.
Cover photo courtesy of Lori Hendricks.
