National Capital Squash’s “DC Aces” won the Howe Cup in November after a dramatic final win over defending champions Philadelphia “International Love” 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 largest annual women’s squash tournament in the United States.

The “A” division with the top teams culminated in a dramatic final between the top two seeds, with the Philadelphia team considered a strong favorite. The match began with a win for Philadelphia, but DC’s Ineta Mackevica leveled the score with a win at the No. 1 position. Isabel Young put DC ahead with a incredible 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. “It was “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.”