Squash: Squads close 2011 with perfect weekend

The women’s match against Williams proved especially exciting for sophomore Alex Sawin, who defeated her younger sister Caroline at No. 6. The women’s team as a whole did not drop a single game, as each player defeated her opponent in just three sets.

The Tigers carried this momentum into their match on Saturday with another sweep, this time of the Colonials. Sauntering past their opponents, the Princeton team conceded just five points or fewer at five different spots, while junior Casey Cortes was one point shy of a perfect match at No. 9.

“We’re pretty happy with how this weekend went,” junior Julie Cerullo said.

The men’s team also experienced similar success. Freshman Samuel Kang came back into the lineup at No. 5 after being out for several weeks due to a wrist injury and defeated his opponent by conceding only five points the entire match.

Senior Chris Callis also gave away just five points in three games against his opponent at No. 2.

“Everyone won relatively easily,” senior Clay Blackiston said.

While complete sweeps were a perfect way to end the 2011 year, the players individually have different memories that stand out as their favorites.

For senior Katie Giovinazzo, her favorite memory of 2011 was “black and orange day,” when half the team dressed in black and the other half in orange. The event traditionally takes place on the last day of captain’s practice, and the two colors play matches against each other.

“That’s when we realized that we are a strong, competitive team, since all the matches were really close,” Giovinazzo said. “It was a fun day for us to work hard and compete against each other, and it kind of forshadowed the rest of the season: It was fun, exciting, and challenging. We’re going to make it through this season as a team.”

“My favorite memory was beating [junior] Todd Harrity in practice a few weeks ago,” Blackiston said.

Concluding 2011 means that both squash teams will take time off for winter break. In addition to enjoying the holidays, however, the Tigers will continue to train earnestly for when they hit the courts again in 2012.

“The biggest thing is to maintain the level of fitness that we’ve established this fall,” Cerullo said. “While we’re not going to be together as a team, we need to put in as much on and off the court individually.”

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Unlike other team sports where winter break might mean no practice — or when players might have to rush back sooner to get key preparation as a team — squash players have the opportunity to continue working out on their own. Since practicing together isn’t as crucial, the members of the men’s and women’s teams utilize courts near their homes to fine-tune their skills over break.

“I know it’s vacation, but I plan on practicing pretty hard,” Harrity said.

The Tigers hope to continue improving, especially in light of the upcoming tougher matches when the season resumes.

“We want to come back stronger than we are right now,” Giovinazzo said. “Our season really kicks into high gear mid-January, and we need to keep the intensity up.”

The women return to the courts the weekend of Jan. 14 when they play both Dartmouth and Harvard.

“I can’t wait to see everyone perform at their highest level,” Giovinazzo said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to beat some teams that may be ranked in front of us and really show how strong of a team we really are.”

The men come back on Jan. 8 against Rochester. With Kang already back in the lineup and injured senior Kelly Shannon hopefully recovered by the first matches in January, the Tigers expect to return a stronger team.

“I’m looking forward to having the whole team ready to play,” Harrity said. “I think if we have that, and if everyone’s pumped up to do well, we have a really good shot at beating everyone this year.”

As such, the Tigers reflect back on a successful 2011. At the same time, they remain hopeful for what the new year will bring.