POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 13, 2010) – By the narrowest of margins, the Vassar College women's squash team lost to Wesleyan University, 5-4, in the first place match of the Team Challenge at Kenyon Hall on Saturday. Mere points enabled Wesleyan to snare the title away from the Brewers after last year's 7-2 victory. The Cardinals won close matches at No. 1 and No. 3 singles and an amazing contest at No. 5 singles, where Vassar senior Hope Blinkoff scored 11 points in each of her five games, but was on the losing end of the match.

The Brewers conclude the regular season at  7-6 and will next compete for the Howe Cup in the CSA Squash Championships, hosted by Yale University February 26-28. Vassar honored its four seniors, competing in their final matches in Kenyon Hall: Blinkoff, Emilie Kraft, Alexa Licht, Caitlin Ly and Olivia Mak.

Saturday's Vassar Team Challenge combined the match wins of the men's and the women's teams from each school, with the team with the greatest number of victories advancing to the first place match. In the first match of the day, against Connecticut College, the Vassar women won 9-0 while the men dropped a 9-0 decision, making the number of game wins the tie-breaker. The 3-0 wins the Vassar women recorded at every spot became crucial as it meant the men needed to win just one game off Connecticut to advance. The men picked up two games in their loss to give Vassar the 29-27 edge in games won. Junior Kristine Bell playing at No. 2 fended off her opponent in the closest match of the day, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6. In the second game she came back from a 10-6 deficit to earn the critical win.

Playing for first place, Vassar, ranked No. 17 in the most recent CSA poll faced off against No. 21 Wesleyan, a team the Brewers defeated 7-2 in last year's Vassar Team Challenge. While the matches in the top half of the lineup were split, Vassar freshman Alexa Lichtenstein proved that her career will  be a stellar one following a five-game victory over Wesleyan's Caroline Fox after she had dropped the first two games. Bell and freshman Libby Pei both had straight game wins and sophomore Meg Taylor was impressive in her four game victory, one that concluded with a 12-10 victory in the fourth game. 

First Place Match: Wesleyan 5, Vassar 4

1. Casey Simchick (WU) def. Emilie Kraft (VC) 3-0, (11-9,18-16, 11-8)
2. Kristine Bell (VC) def. Grace Zimmerman (WU) 3-0, (11-3, 11-4, 11-8)
3. Tanesha Jackson (WU) def. Caitlin Ly (VC) 3-2, (11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5)
4. Libby Pei (VC) def. Danielle Craig (WU) 3-0, (11-2, 11-2, 11-5)
5. Gwynne Hunter (WU) def. Hope Blinkoff (VC) 3-2, (7-11, 13-11, 4-11, 13-11, 13-11)
6. Meg Taylor (VC) def. Jennu Chu (WU) 3-1, (13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10)
7. Alexa Lichtenstein (VC) def. Caroline Fox (WU) 3-2, (7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5)
8. Ashley Garrett (WU) def. Nina Punukollu (VC) 3-0, (14-12,11-9, 15-13)
9. Elizabeth Larner (WU) def. Olivia Mak (VC) 3-0, (11-6, 11-5, 12-10)
Exhibition:
10. Jill Levine (VC) def. Meherazade Sumariwalla (WU) 3-0, (12-10, 15-13, 11-9)

Third Place Match: Columbia 9, Connecticut College 0

1. Liz Chu (CU) def. Cara Flynn (CC), 3-2 (12-10, 12-10, 4-11, 9-11, 11-6)
2. Annie Tickell (CU) def. Laura Abrams (CC), 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5)
3. Anne Cheng (CU) def. Jenn Hyslip (CC), 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-4)
4. Yoo-Na Kim (CU) def. Victoria Leeds (CC), 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 12-10)
5. Monica Gorman (CU) def. Jillian Sandler (CC), 3-1 (11-7, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5)
6. Tara Banani (CU) def. Sarah Robertson (CC), 3-1 (5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5)
7. Alexa Mouta (CU) def. Becca Marksom (CC), 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9_
8. Lindsey Harris (CU) def. Ashley Crutchfield (CC), 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-7)
9. Kate Hanson (CU) def. Lily Geiger (CC), 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-3)

Wesleyan 6, Columbia 3

1. Liz Chu (CU) def. Casey Simchick (WU), 3-0 (11-7, 11-1, 11-5)
2. Annie Tickell (CU) def. Grace Zimmerman (WU), 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-8)
3. Tanesha Jackson (WU) def. Anne Cheng (CU), 3-1 (11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7)
4. Danielle Craig (WU) def. Yoo-Na Kim (CU), 3-1 (13-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9)
5. Gwynne Hunter (WU) def. Monica Gorman (CU), 3-1 (10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2)
6. Jenny Chu (WU) def. Tara Banani (CU), 3-0 (11-5, 13-11, 12-10)
7. Caroline Fox (WU) def. Alexa Mouta (CU), 3-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6)
8. Lindsey Harris (CU) def. Ashley Garrett (WU), 3-2 (8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8)
9. Elizabeth Larner (WU) def. Kate Hanson (CU), 3-0 (11-1, 11-5, 11-2)
Exhibition:
10. Mahrah Tanfique (CU) def. Meherazade Sumariwalla (WU), 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-5)

Vassar 9, Connecticut College 0

1. Emilie Kraft (VC) def. Cara Flynn (CC), 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-8)
2. Kristine Bell (VC) def. Laura Abrams (CC), 3-0 (11-5, 12-10, 11-6)
3. Caitlin Ly (VC) def. Jenn Hyslip (CC), 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-6)
4. Libby Pei (VC) def. Victoria Leeds (CC), 3-0 (11-4, 11-1, 11-5)
5. Hope Blinkoff (VC) def. Jillian Sandler (CC), 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-7)
6. Meg Taylor (VC) def. Sarah Robertson (CC), 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-2)
7. Alexa Lichtenstein (VC) def. Becca Marksom (CC), 3-0 (11-1, 11-1, 11-0)
8. Nina Punukollu (VC) def. Ashley Crutchfield (CC), 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-5)
9. Olivia Mak (VC) def. Lily Geiger (CC), 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-1)