World Class

After a 4th place finish there is much to be proud of. Three players in the round of 16 and a win over the world junior champion shows the progress US Squash has made in recent years. On behalf of the team we'd like to thank all the people behind the scenes who helped us achieve great things in India.

Progress

Although we didn't beat Egypt today the girls gave 100% effort and showed they can play with the best in the world. Amanda shocked the squash world defeating the World Junior Champion Nour El Sherbini 3-0 at #2. We are looking forward to playing for third place tomorrow versus the hosts, India.

ENGLAND

Today the team continued it's hot streak narrowly beating England 2-1. The scorelines were all 3 love but that didn't tell the whole story. The match could have gone either way. England started very well with Kimberly Hay defeating yesterday's hero, Amanda Sobhy. Olivia took the court knowing that a top four finish--and a first ever win over mighty England--was on her racquet. She played tight, patient squash earning a 3-0 win over Millie Tomlinson. With the match in the balance our fate rested in Julie Cerullo's hands. As has been the case all week Julie was unflappable yet again. She dictated play from the T and improved with each game in spite of the mounting pressure. The girls will enjoy this one till dinner then will turn their focus to Egypt!

Jack & Meredeth

Local Derby

The US Junior Women earned a tough 2-1 victory over our neighbors to the north, Canada, this afternoon. All three matches were hotly contested. Scores listed below.

#2 Amanda Sobhy (USA) beat Samantha Cornett (Can) 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
#1 Laura Gemmel (Can) beat Olivia Blatchford (USA) 11-5, 14-12, 11-5
#3 Julie Cerullo (USA) beat Jennifer Pelletier (Can) 11-5, 13-11, 14-12

Next up, England in the quarters...

Jack & Meredeth

Ace

With everyone gone and only the remaining top four players left, we were treated to a nice sleep-in followed by some breakfast waffles and oatmeal on a plate. With our match against Spain at 1, we went to the courts to practice on the glass court before our match. This matches line up was Olivia at 1, Julie at 2, Yarden at 3, and Amanda having the day’s rest. US came out strong from the first match, winning each 3-0, giving Spain very little room to shine. Julie played exceptionally well, even hitting an ace off the serve once, making Jack do 20 push-ups. After the matches, Amanda, Julie, and Olivia went back to the Taj Connemara for a nice lunch and relaxing afternoon, while the Odinak’s went out for some yummy Indian food. Julie got an hour long callous removing pedicure, Olivia took a nice fully clothed dip in the pool, and Amanda got a head massage where she was showered in oil. At 6 we headed back to our hotel for some showers and down time and met up at 7:30 for dinner. By the time we interrogated our waiter and ordered excess fries and chicken in a basket, the team headed up to bed to get a good night sleep for the exciting match against Canada tomorrow.

Amanda Sobhy

On the board

Today we woke up at sunrise for a 9am team breakfast. After polishing off a few plates of grub, we went for a WARM up hit at the courts. Without the air conditioning on or a boy insight (besides Jack) it was hot and quiet. Slotting some nicks, we were clearly ready for our premier match against the great South Africans. Before the match we had to bid farewell to our fellow American teammates, who would fly off to different destinations later this evening. Amanda and Yarden proceeded to pack their bags and say goodbye to their former rooms and hello to their new roommates; Amanda with Julie and Yarden with Olivia. Before we knew it, it was game time.

After testing out the American college 'intros' system we snapped a few quick pictures, belted out an intimidating “USA” cheer the number ones took the court. Olivia won a tight 3-0 against South Africa’s Cheyna Tucker. Yarden followed up with another great win over Alexandra Fuller, their number three. Amanda batted clean-up, with a 3-0 sweep over Robyn Baptiste. After a successful first match, the girls enjoyed their first victory dinner with the parents. Now its off to bed, in hopes of repeating the day’s triumph!

Teams

First day of the teams went well for the USA with a three love win over South Africa. Details from the girls forthcoming.

Ta

In the morning, Libby, Lexi, and Natasha went with Jodie and Kathy to local silk markets in Chennai. They experienced a department store with incense so pungent it was visible in the air. The girls found vibrant tunics and had jasmine flowers put in their hair. In the afternoon, the entire team met at the courts to watch Julie and Yarden compete in their plate semi-final matches.

Julie lost in 4 to Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) and Yarden lost in 4 to Tamika Saxby (Aus). We watched the girls semi final between number one seed Dipika and Nour El Tayeb. Nour won decisively over Dipika in a four game battle. Led by Jack and Meredeth, the girls trekked through the streets of Chennai and met the parents at an amazing Mediterranean restaurant, Azulia. The highlight of the night was riding in tuk-tuks (Indian taxi cabs)--experiencing the energy of Chennai traffic up close and personal.

Lexi & Olivia

International Trade

Haley, Julie, and Yarden woke up early to eat a good breakfast before their matches. Julie and Yarden pulled off easy wins in 3 games while Haley ended up losing in 5 in a very tough battle to a French girl. After all the morning matches the team made its way to the Taj Connemara hotel for a delicious lunch and a nice swim in the hotel pool. While some girls went back to the hotel to relax, Haley made her way to the courts to watch the quarterfinals. En route, she witnessed the first real accident of the roads. The shuttle that Haley was in crashed into a motorcycle, knocking the rider off and crushing the bike. After the man stood up and the bike was moved, the shuttle just kept driving! Astonished, Haley made it to the courts to tell everyone, and of course cheer Yarden and Julie through their second victory of the day. After a long day at the courts, all the girls met up with the boys team for a big team dinner at the hotel restaurant. Then Lexi, Natasha, and Libby turned into shirt trading animals knocking from door to door in the hotel asking if other players wanted to trade shirts for their USA gear. Lexi ended up getting a Germany, England, and France shirt and Amanda got a Mexico shirt.

Amanda & Haley