Squash Competes in CSA Individual Championships

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (March 2, 2008) - The Mount Holyoke College women's squash team competed in the 2008 College Squash Association Individual Championships over the weekend at the Naval Academy. On the women's side of the event, there were two divisions - Ramsay Cup (A draw) and Holleran Cup (B draw).

Junior Pamela Anckermann (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Monte Alto) and first year Vidushi Gurunada (Colombo, Sri Lanka/Lyceum Int'l School) competed in the Ramsay Cup.

Meanwhile, junior Menusha Hettiarachchi (Colombo, Sri Lanka/Holy Family Convent), sophomore Laura Robinson (Paget, Bermuda/Saltus Grammar School)), senior Elizabeth Wright (Lexington, Mass./Phillips Exeter) and sophomore Laurian Lue Yen (Kingston, Jamaica/St. Paul's (N.H.)) took part in the Holleran Cup.

Mount Holyoke's top performances of the weekend came from Robinson and Hettiarachchi, who both advanced to play matches on Sunday.

Robinson moved on to the semifinals of the Holleran Cup second consolation draw, where she fell to Hannah Conant of Dartmouth College. Conant proceeded to take top honors in the second consolation.

Hettiarachchi advanced all the way to the championship of the Holleran Cup third round consolation. She built a 2-0 advantage against Princeton's Joanna Scoon but eventually fell in five games.

Lue Yen and Wright both suffered 3-2 setbacks in their final matches of the event on Saturday.

Mount Holyoke concluded its season with an overall record of 17-5. A total of six Lyons finished the year with rankings in the top 100 nationally. Anckermann and Gurunada led the way with national rankings in the top 32.

Ramsay Cup
(Women's A Main Draw) - Round of 32:
Lauren Polonich (Trinity) def. Vidushi Gurunada (MHC), 3-1 (8-10, 9-3, 9-6, 9-4)
Alisha Mashruwala (Harvard) def. Pamela Anckermann (MHC), 3-1 (10-8, 10-8, 9-10, 9-1)

(Women's A Consolation Draw) - Round of 16:
Sarah Toomey (Yale) def. Vidushi Gurunada (MHC), 3-0 (9-5, 9-7, 9-4)
Britt Hebden (Pennsylvania) def. Pamela Anckermann (MHC), 3-0 (9-0, 9-7, 9-7)

Holleran Cup
(Women's B Main Draw) - Round of 64:
Laura Robinson (MHC) def. Sara Smyth (Smith), 3-0 (9-2, 9-0, 9-0)
Ryan McManus (Conn. College) def. Elizabeth Wright (MHC), 3-0 (9-0, 9-4, 9-2)
Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC) def. Julie Kiernan (Navy), 3-0 (9-2, 9-0, 9-0)
Laurian Lue Yen (MHC) def. Rebecca Rice (Tufts), 3-0 (9-6, 9-1, 9-5)

(Women's B Main Draw) - Round of 32:
Tara Wadhwa (Yale) def. Laura Robinson (MHC), 3-0 (9-4, 9-7, 9-3)
Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC) def. Anne Ritter (Cornell), 3-1 (6-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-3)
Liza Stokes (Cornell) def. Laurian Lue Yen (MHC), 3-0 (9-4, 9-0, 10-9)

(Women's B Main Draw) - Round of 16:
Catherine Warner (Williams) def. Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC), 3-2 (9-6, 1-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-6)

(Women's B Consolation Draw) - Round of 16:
Stefanie Marx (Tufts) def. Elizabeth Wright (MHC), 3-2 (9-5, 10-8, 6-9, 7-9, 9-3)

(Women's B Second Consolation Draw) - Round of 16:
Laura Robinson (MHC) def. Kelly Whipple (Hamilton), 3-1 (1-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-4)
Caroline Lemoine (Bates) def. Laurian Lue Yen (MHC), 3-2 (9-4, 9-4, 5-9, 2-9, 9-6)

(Women's B Second Consolation Draw) - Round of 8:
Laura Robinson (MHC) def. Hannah Laverty (Bates), 3-1 (9-2, 9-5, 7-9, 9-5)

(Women's B 2nd Consolation Draw) - Round of 4:
Hannah Conant (Dartmouth) def. Laura Robinson (MHC), 3-0 (9-6, 9-4, 9-5)

(Women's B Third Consolation Draw) - Round of 8:
Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC) def. Liza Stokes (Cornell), 3-1 (9-4, 9-5, 5-9, 9-4)

(Women's B Third Consolation Draw) - Round of 4:
Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC) def. Elena Laird (Bowdoin), 3-0 (10-8, 9-4, 9-3)

(Women's B Third Consolation Draw) - Championship:
Joanna Scoon (Princeton) def. Menusha Hettiarachchi (MHC), 3-2 (7-9, 6-9, 9-1, 9-3, 9-6)