Washington DC’s “DC Aces” will bring the Howe Cup back to the nation’s capital for the first time in five years after a dramatic final win over defending champions Philadelphia “International Love” Sunday, November 6, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
250 women competed across four divisions in the eighty-eighth edition of the Howe Cup Women’s Team Championship, the United States’ largest annual women’s squash tournament. Sixty-six women competed in the MPB Doubles which was held for the second year alongside the Howe Cup. View all results on the Howe Cup tournament page and MPB Doubles tournament page. Watch match replays on the US Squash YouTube channel. Tournament photography is available on the US Squash Smugmug page.
The A division culminated in a dramatic final between the top two seeds, one seeds and defending champions International Love from Philadelphia and the DC Aces, the two seeds. Samantha Jaffe earned the first win for Philadelphia, and DC’s Ineta Mackevica leveled the score with a win at the No. 1 position. Isabel Young provided a crucial win for DC with a five-game comeback win after being 2-1 down against Anne Madeira in the No. 5 position. Captain Margaret Gerety followed Young and clinched the title 11-9 in the fifth against Lauren West in the No. 4 position.
“If feels awesome to win, these ladies played really great, I’m so proud of them,” Gerety said. “I’m from Philadelphia and it was fun to play them in the final, that team is so nice. It’s been a really special weekend with so many reunions and really tough matches, and I’m just really proud that we were able to squeak it out. This was the first time DC ever fielded two A teams, which is amazing. It’s inspiring to see women’s squash and squash in general grow there and speaks to the future of the game in the U.S.”
New York City produced two champions in the B and C divisions. B top seeds NY Bulletproof overcame the Boston Banshees 3-2 in a close semifinal before capturing the title with a 5-0 sweep against Connecticut’s Drop Dead Divas. The two-seeded NY Chaotic Tornadoes edged Portland, Oregon’s top seeds MAC Attack 3-2 in a close C final.
Boston D2 took top honors in the D division, defeating New York City’s Death Squash 3-2 in the final.
Jess Davis & Lindsay Stanley pulled off a dramatic title run in the MPB Doubles A division, upsetting the top two seeds in five-gamers in both the semifinals and finals.
