W. Squash Falls in Howe Cup Final

By Lisa Kennelly, Crimson Staff Writer February 22, 2005

HARVARD 6, TRINITY 3

It’s hard to believe this is the same Bantams team that the Crimson couldn’t seem to beat for so many years.

Harvard topped third-seeded Trinity 6-3 in the semifinals to reach the defending champion Bulldogs, only the second time the Crimson has beaten the Bantams since 2001.

Since Harvard last won a national championship in that same year, Trinity had essentially owned the Crimson in each and every meeting. That changed earlier this month, when Harvard finally came out ahead of the Bantams 5-4. With the once-unbeatable now vulnerable, the Crimson had the upper hand heading into the semifinals.

“We knew they wanted to get us back,” Balsekar said. “But we had a solid team, we knew that.”

“We were really fired up coming into that match,” Wilkins added.

This time around, the Crimson took advantage of three five-game victories to eke out the win.

Sophomore No. 4 Audrey Duboc took a 2-0 lead over Lauren Polonich, winning the first two games 10-8. 9-4. But Duboc then dropped the next two games 9-3, 9-4, to set up the deciding fifth game. Duboc finally pulled out a 9-4 win to take the match and avenge a three-game defeat to Polonich earlier this season.

Co-captain No. 8 Hilary Thorndike and senior No. 9 Stephanie Hendricks both gutted out five-game wins over their Trinity counterparts, with Thorndike rallying from a two-game deficit to win 7-9, 7-9, 9-7, 9-6, 9-2.

Grigg fell to Trinity’s No. 1 Lynn Leong for the second time this season, 9-1, 9-5, 9-2. Leong has beaten both Grigg and Quibell, and should be the favorite at the CSA Individuals in two weeks.

HARVARD 9, BROWN 0

The Crimson’s first round opponent proved, as expected, to be little challenge for Harvard’s tough ladder.

The Bears, seeded seventh, had already lost to the Crimson 9-0 in Harvard’s season opener back in November. This time around was little different, as the Crimson steamrolled Brown.

Harvard won seven matches by scores of 3-0, and had only two matches go to four games.

—Staff writer Lisa J. Kennelly can be reached at kennell@fas.harvard.edu.