PHILADELPHIA, PA. – The defending Walker Cup Champion Wesleyan women's squash team will get the opportunity to keep their crown in the College Squash Association's Walker Cup finals after a 8-1 defeat of #2 seed Denison University on Saturday morning from the Arlen Spector US Squash Center.
Leandra Sze '26, one of four Cardinals to put away 3-0 sweeps on the Big Red, made the most of her time and finished out her victory over Charlotte Sigg in just 14 minutes. Sze allowed mild gains from Sigg in game one but regained dominance and cleared with a 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 final.
Sitting at #7,
Katherine Risden '28 nearly fell in game two to Denison's Virginia Lawrence but managed to sweep in her own right and finished the match with a 11-1, 11-9, 11-1 victory.
Penelope Furnas '27 defeated Tess Lanza 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 at #6 and closed in under 20 minutes. Lane Harding gave
Portia Pliam '25 a fight at #9, nearly forcing a fourth game but Pliam pulled through and swept 11-8, 11-7, 13-11.
Forced to a fourth game,
Aanya Anand '26 and Jaclyn Dicher '26 each had losses in game three after holding a two-game lead on their opponents. At #2, Anand rallied against Antoinette Ramsey in a 11-6, 12-10, 3-11, 11-8 nail biter before Dichter finished off Esme Adelman 11-6, 16-14, 7-11, 11-8 at #3.
Facing Amelia Keng in the #2 spot,
Avika Pande '26 fell into a two-game deficit despite an early lead with a game one win. Tying the match in game four, Pande posted back-to-back wins and defeated Keng 3-2 with 11-5, 6-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 game tallies.
Pande was not the only five game match as
Rachel Matamoros '24 at #3 carved out another 3-2 win for the Cardinals. As with Pande, Matamoros lead through game one but could not hold off Helena Fournaris. Rebounding with a game four victory, Matamoros sealed her win with 11-5, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7 final scores.
The Cardinals will face #2 Franklin and Marshall on Sunday, March 2, at 9 a.m. to decide the Walker Cup Champion.
