No. 8 Lions Head To CSA National Team Championships

Friday, February 21

New Haven, Conn.

12:00 P.M.

Columbia University

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

No. 8 Lions Head To CSA National Team Championships

2/20/2020 9:53:00 AM | Women's Squash

Watch Live Stats Brackets

No. 8 Columbia Women's Squash will face No. 1 Harvard in the first round matchup on Friday, Feb. 21.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – With the regular season behind them, No. 8 Columbia Women's Squash (9-6, 4-3 IVY) now sets its eyes on the College Squash Association Team National Championships, hosted by Yale, with a first-round matchup against No. 1 Harvard (14-0, 7-0 IVY) set to get going at 12 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 in New Haven, Connecticut at the Brady Squash Center.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW:
vs. No. 1 Harvard (CSA Nationals Round One): Live Stats | Watch | Twitter (@Columbia_Squash)

TOURNY FORMAT: The Lions, who thanks to their No. 8 seeding were slotted into the final spot of the Howe Cup (A Division), will compete in the top tier of the CSA Team Nationals. Three wins from Columbia would lock up the program's first national title in the 10 years competing at the NCAA Varsity Division I level.

The CSA breaks down the brackets into five divisions, with the Howe Cup being the top tier, and the Kurtz Cup (B Division), Walker Cup (C Division), Epps Cup (D Division) and E Division making up the different levels of rankings. The CSA sets these divisions based on the regular season final rankings, with the top eight teams in the country competing for the Howe Cup.

REVIEWING THE PREVIOUS: The last time the Lions took to the court, was on senior day in season finale on Feb. 9, where the Lions fell to then-ranked No. 3 Princeton, 8-1. The lone win for Columbia came from Habiba Mohamed, who won in four sets at No. 1, taking down Elle Ruggiero, 5-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-6.

WHAT THE CRIMSON BRING: Columbia and Harvard last met on Jan. 19, in a match hosted by the Lions at the SL Green Streetsquash Center. The Crimson would come away with the 8-1 victory in that match, and a win from Columbia on Friday, would be the first in program history against Harvard.

Harvard, who is the lone undefeated team in the country sitting at 14-0, can claim five student-athletes that sit ranked inside the top 10 nationally in the CSA's individual player rankings. Eleonore Evans (No. 1/14-0), Hannah Craig (No. 2/14-0), Georgina Kennedy (No. 4/12-0), Amelia Henley (No. 6/11-0) and Hana Moataz (No. 7/11-0) all carry rankings inside the top 10 for Harvard entering the national championships.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Squash by following the Lions on Twitter (@Columbia_Squash), Instagram (@ColumbiaSquash) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).