Virginia Defeats Middlebury in Opening Round of Kurtz Cup
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The second-seeded Virginia women’s squash team (15-6) defeated seventh-seeded Middlebury (8-9), 9-0, in the opening round of the Kurtz Cup, the B division of the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships, on Friday (Feb. 21) at Yale’s Brady Squash Center.
Sophomore Emma Jinks (Stratford, Prince Edward Island) captured the first point of the match, defeating Ideal Dowling 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 at the top of the order. Freshman Julia Curran (Bronxville, N.Y.) followed with an 11-7, 11-7, 11-2 win against Anne Glassie in position seven.
Junior Emily Woodworth (Weston, Mass.) topped position six 4-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-5 against Natasha Lowitt, while freshman Grace Seymour (Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.) went 11-2, 12-10, 11-4 against Mira Chugh in position eight. Freshman Maria Paula Moya (Ambato, Ecuador) defeated Virginia Schaus in position two for the deciding point, going 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 for the victory.
The Cavaliers also recorded wins from senior Julia Thompson (Newtown Square, Pa.) in position five, senior Sarah Doss (Richmond, Va.) in position nine, freshman Sydney Maxwell (Toronto, Ontario) in position three and sophomore Mandy Haywood (Christ Church, Barbados) in position four.
With the win, Virginia advances to Saturday’s semifinal match to face third-seeded Cornell. The two teams will compete at 3:30 p.m. at the Brady Squash Center.
Match Notes:
• Virginia advances to the semifinals for the second year in a row.
• The Cavaliers are 6-0 against Middlebury since becoming a varsity program in 2017.
• Virginia recorded its fourth consecutive 9-0 win against the Panthers.
• UVA will face Cornell for the second time this season after edging the Big Red in a neutral site match 5-4.
• The Cavaliers and the Big Red are 2-2- all-time in the series.
Virginia def. Middlebury 9-0
Order of Finish (1, 7, 6, 8, 2, 5, 9, 3, 4)
1 | Emma Jinks (UVA) def. Ideal Dowling (MC) 11-3, 11-4, 11-2
2 | Maria Paula Moya (UVA) def. Virginia Schaus (MC) 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4
3 | Sydney Maxwell (UVA) def. Gwen Davis (MC) 11-5, 11-3, 11-9
4 | Mandy Haywood (UVA) def. Natalie Madden (MC) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8
5 | Julia Thompson (UVA) def. Caroline Arena (MC) 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7
6 | Emily Woodworth (UVA) def. Natasha Lowitt (MC) 4-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-5
7 | Julia Curran (UVA) def. Anne Glassie (MC) 11-7, 11-7, 11-2
8 | Grace Seymour (UVA) def. Mira Chugh (MC) 11-2, 12-10, 11-4
9 | Sarah Doss (UVA) def. Grace Santoro (MC) 11-1, 11-0, 11-3
Exh | Tara Arya (UVA) def. Maya McDonough (MC) 11-8, 11-7, 11-2