Virginia Defeats George Washington in Washington-Jefferson Cup Matchup
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– The No. 11 Virginia women’s squash team (8-5) defeated No. 13 George Washington (2-8) on Wednesday (Jan. 23) at the McArthur Squash Center. The Cavaliers won the match 7-2 and captured the Washington-Jefferson Cup, which included a Virginia win in the men’s match, for the first time program history.
“We are on a nice roll now after winning the last four matches – with three of these wins against teams that beat us last year,” head coach Mark Allen said. “The hard, physical work put in over the first semester is definitely paying off and the entire squad is playing with a lot of confidence. We are looking forward to the away matches coming up at the weekend, as well as our next home match against fourth-ranked Yale on Sunday.”
Virginia opened the match with wins from senior Annie Tyson (Flourtown, Pa.) and freshman Caroline Baldwin (Rye, N.Y.) in positions eight and four, respectively. Tyson captured an 11-2, 11-2, 11-3 win against Zoe Eberstadt-Beattie, while Baldwin defeated Zuha Nazir 11-5, 11-7, 11-4.
Virginia extended its lead to 4-0 with an 11-5, 11-3 11-3 win from junior Sarah Doss (Richmond, Va.) over Brooke Feldman in position six and an 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 win from junior Julia Thompson (Newtown, Square, Pa.) against Aarushi Lakhotia in position nine.
George Washington found its first point with a five-game win in position two, but Virginia clinched the victory with an 11-4, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7 win in position seven from sophomore Giovanna Veiga de Almeida (Belo Horizonte, Brazil).
Freshman Mandy Haywood (Christ Church, Barbados) and sophomore Emily Woodworth (Weston, Mass.) closed the match with wins in positions three and five, respectively. Haywood defeated Emma Tryon 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, while Woodworth topped Arunachlam Vedikammeyamai 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7.
The Washington-Jefferson Cup is an annual rivalry between the Cavaliers and Colonials that was established during the 2016-17 season and includes postdated winners through the 2013-14 season. The winner is determined by a cumulative score for both the men’s and women’s match. Virginia won the cup for the first time in six seasons of competition with tonight’s win in both the men’s and women’s matches.
The Cavaliers will return to action this weekend, facing four opponents in three days. Virginia will compete against No. 23 Colby on Friday and both No. 20 Franklin and Marshall and No. 14 Middlebury on Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. The team will return home on Sunday to compete against No. 4 Yale.
No. 11 Virginia def. No. 13 George Washington 7-2
Order of Finish: 8, 4, 6, 9, 2, 7, 3, 5, 1
1 | Zoe Foo Yuk Han (GW) def. Emma Jinks (UVA) 8-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6
2 | Engy Elmandouh (GW) def. Tara Arya (UVA) 12-10, 3-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-2
3 | Mandy Haywood (UVA) def. Emma Tryon (GW) 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
4 | Caroline Baldwin (UVA) def. Zuha Nazir (GW) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4
5 | Emily Woodworth (UVA) def. Arunachlam Vedikammeyamai (GW) 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7
6 | Sarah Doss (UVA) def. Brooke Feldman (GW) 11-5, 11-3, 11-3
7 | Giovanna Veiga de Almeida (UVA) def. Haley Hunt (GW) 11-4, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7
8 | Annie Tyson (UVA) def. Zoe Eberstadt-Beattie (GW) 11-2, 11-2, 11-3
9 | Julia Thompson (UVA) def. Aarushi Lakhotia (GW) 11-3, 11-2, 11-4
Exh | Elle Carroll (UVA) def. Anna Moscovici (GW) 11-5, 11-4, 11-2