South Hadley, Mass. - January 26, 2020 - The Mount Holyoke College squash team wrapped up the Pioneer Valley Invitational with a pair of defeats to nationally-ranked opponents on Sunday. The Pioneer Valley Invitational featured a total of 10 men's and women's squash teams from around the country and was hosted between the MHC Squash Courts and Amherst College on Saturday and Sunday.
The Lyons dropped a 7-2 decision to No. 23 Hamilton, then fell to No. 12 Brown University, 7-1. Standout sophomore Mihiliya Methsarani (Panadura, Sri Lanka) was nothing short of impressive for the Lyons, as she went 4-0, all against nationally-ranked teams.
Up next, Mount Holyoke College will make the short trip to Amherst College on Tuesday, February 4 for a 6:30 p.m. match with the Mammoths.
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No. 23 Hamilton 7, Mount Holyoke College 2
The Lyons had a pair of solid performances in the top two positions, but was unable to defeat visiting Hamilton College to wrap up their play in the Pioneer Valley Invitational. The final score was 7-2.
At No. 1, Methsarani won 11-2, 11-2, 11-4, while at No. 2, Jennifer Mbah (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) battled to an 11-8, 13-11, 11-5 victory.
At No. 3, Giselle Cabrera (Bronx, N.Y.) fell by the set scores of 11-2, 11-2, 11-3, while Emma Robson (Amherst, Mass.) dropped an 11-3, 11-5, 11-6 decision at No. 4. Genesis Lara Granados (Bronx, N.Y.) and Nicole Lara Granados (Bronx, N.Y.) both lost at No. 5 and No. 6, while at No. 7, Janiqua Davis (New Haven, Conn.) lost 11-3, 11-2, 11-2.
Wrapping up the match, Anna Braman (Wellesley, Mass.) fell at No. 8, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, while at No. 9, Jing Xu (Hangzhou, China) fell 11-2, 11-4, 11-4.
No. 12 Brown University 7, Mount Holyoke College 1
Mount Holyoke College received a victory from Methsarani at the top spot but was unable to prevail over Brown University to close out the weekend for the Lyons. The Bears won the match 7-1.
Methsarani took down Alexa Jacobs for the second-consecutive year, cruising to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 win, before Mbah lost at No. 2 11-6, 11-5, 11-4. Cabrera and Robson suffered setbacks at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, while both Genesis Lara Granados and Nicole Lara Granados both dropped decisions at No. 5 and No. 6.
Rounding out the match, Davis fell at No. 7, 11-2, 11-5, 11-7, while Braman lost at No. 8, 11-4, 11-1, 11-4.
