Hau, Pownall-Gray Compete for Women’s Squash

Last weekend, March 4-6, Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16 and Tiffany Hau ’16 competed at the College Squash Association individual championships at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut. Pownall-Gray and Hau entered the tournament ranked 51st and 60th.

Powell-Gray faced 46th-ranked Hedvika Suchanova of Dickinson College in her opening match. She was defeated in a five-match marathon, losing the deciding game 11-7.

Powell-Gray then entered the consolation bracket, and lost to George Washington’s Abigail Shonrock in a three-game match. In the last game, Pownall-Gray showed signs of comeback, but ultimately Shonrock gained the upper hand and won 15-13.

Hau competed against 37th-ranked Alexandra Toth from Princeton and unfortunately fell in three games (11-5, 11-4, 11-7). However, Hau remained upbeat about her time at the championships.

“I had a wonderful weekend and played some of the best squash I had all season,” Hau said. “It was really exciting [playing at Chelsea Piers that] I hadn’t been to before.” Hau had a crowd of supporters on hand, including her family, Panther teammates, Coach Mark Lewis and friends from home.

After her loss in the opening-round match, Hau beat 69th-ranked Brandy Williamson from Mount Holyoke in a four game showdown. She won the final game 11-5. Though she lost in her next match against 53rd-ranked Victoria Arjoon of Bates College, Hau put the weekend in perspective.

“It was nice being able to finish on that [note] being a senior in my last weekend of squash,” Hau said.

When asked about her goals, Hau said she just wanted to enjoy her time and compete to her best potential.

“I wanted to enjoy it,” Hau said, “it was my last weekend of collegiate squash so I wanted to leave the weekend feeling proud of myself and the way that I played. I wanted to be able to look back and remember how fun it was. I definitely achieved that and with those good feelings definitely came some good results.”

Hau also gave praise to her teammates for their support and encouragement.

“[Though] it was strange not having the whole team together,” Hau acknowledged, “hearing from [teammates] and remembering the energy from the weekend before at Nationals definitely propelled me through the tournament.”