Zeina Zein ’27, Princeton Women’s Squash Vie for National Title

Zeina Zein ’27 first started playing squash because her father wanted some competition.

“So he wanted me to start playing so that I can, like, start getting better and being able to, like, hit the ball and, like, move around on court, so that I could play with him,” she said.

At first, Zein said, her father let her win; a few years later, she was able to beat him with her left hand. So they stopped playing, and Zein kept training at a club in her hometown of Alexandria, Egypt.

Zein said she started to get more into squash after she won her very first trophy.

“I started seeing where I actually stand, and wanted to continue and see whether I can get more of those trophies or not.”

Zein said her mom is her biggest fan. As a competitor in the junior division, Zein said, her mom attended almost all of her matches.

But Zein’s dad is too stressed to travel to her competitions, she said. Even when he’s watching online, “he literally gets so nervous that he just lets my mom watch and [she tells him] the results.”

There hasn’t been much reason for Zein’s dad to worry, though — she lost just four times in dual matches her first year, and swept all 15 games to win the 2025 individual national championship this year. Zein will lead third-ranked Princeton into the College Squash Association (CSA) team championships in Philadelphia this weekend.

The individual championship was in January — two months earlier than when it’s been traditionally held.

Zein said the change meant that she was “fresh, because it was during winter break,” and she didn’t have any added academic stress. Last year, the championship was right after midterms, which took some of her focus away from training. “I remember last year when I played it I [had] not had the racket for three days before the championship itself.”

Playing in the championship tournament in New York, Zein had to miss the first two days of spring semester classes, which she described as “a bit stressful.” But she ultimately walked away from Grand Central Station with the CSA national title — the first for a Princeton woman since Julia Beaver ’01 captured her third straight championship in 2001.

“Moving forward from that, I’d say it … boosted my confidence a lot, and made me know where I stand and how I am on court,” she said.

When she isn’t practicing or doing homework, Zein said she likes to try off-campus restaurants with friends.

“And I’m a huge nail fan, so I usually go to the nail salon to get my nails done,” she added.

Competition for the Howe Cup — the women’s team squash championships — starts on Friday, March 7, when the Tigers will face the winner of Tufts and the University of Virginia.