Ephs Drop Heartbreaker to Big Green
Williamstown, MA – The Williams women’s squash team (6-7) faced their toughest opponent of the season Wednesday night with stands and hearts full. But even the big cheering sections were not enough to stave off a well-matched Dartmouth team. The Ephs fell 5-4 to their rivals in the most thrilling match this season.
The night started with an early Eph defeat at the number six position for an injured Caroline Henry. Co-captain Catie Warner was next on that court, winning the first two games, before giving up the third. Warner was able to come back to win convincingly, giving her opponent no more than 2 points in the fourth game.
The bottom of the lineup struggled against a seemingly even Dartmouth team. Kavitha Mannava went back and forth with her opponent at the number nine position, eventually dropping the match in five close games. At number eight, Allie Rottkamp played out some great points with a steady Maura Doherty, but was not able to stave off her opponent. One of the night’s last matches saw number seven Claire Hsu play a tireless Tayler Tully. After winning the first two games, Tully had an early lead in the third. But Hsu rallied back to win it 9-4. However, she was not able to keep up the momentum, giving her opponent the fourth game.
The center court saw much more luck with all top three players winning decisive matches. After giving up the second game, number three Jennifer Coxe was able to take out her opponent in the next two. Neither co-captain Ashley Eyre nor her sister Toby allowed their opponents a game, with number one Toby taking her second game 9-0.
At four matches apiece, both teams gathered around court six where number four Arianna Kourides faced a verbally combative Madeline Lurio. After Kourides took a nail biter of a third game 10-8, she was not able to take another. Lurio’s win was not an easy one, however, with Kourides battling for every point in the long final games.
Despite being disappointed, the team was also encouraged by their performance. “Everyone tried their hardest and we came up a little short,” Rottkamp said. “This match made it clear, though, that we can play at this level.”
Warner agreed. “Matches like this one are the reason we train so hard everyday. Even though we didn’t win, everyone played really hard and did well.”
The team is looking forward to the next week’s matches against rivals Cornell and Brown, which will decide whether the team will be in the top division at Nationals. Head Coach Zafi Levy said of their upcoming matches: “I am very positive of our chances!”
Williams College vs. Dartmouth College Results: 4-5?
1. Toby Eyre (W) def. Ashley Malencheck (D) 3-0 (9-8, 0, 3)
2.Ashley Eyre (W) def. Christie Alexander (D) 3-0 (4, 4, 10-8)?
3. Jennifer Coxe (W) def. Becca Loucks (D) 3-1 (2, (8-10), 3, 3)
4. Madeline Lurio (D) def. Arianna Kourides (W) 3-2 ((3), 7, (8-10), 3, 3)?
5. Catie Warner (W) def. Hannah Connant (D) 3-1 (7, 3, (2), 2)?
6. Libbey Brown (D) def. Caroline Henry (W) 3-0 (4, 3, 4)
7. Taylor Tully (D) def. Claire Hsu (W) 3-1 (6, 7, (4), 5)
8. Maura Doherty (D) def. Allison Rottkamp (W) 3-0 (5, 1, 6)
9. Elizabeth Weintraub (D) def. Kavitha Mannava (W) 3-2 (1, (6), 4, (7), 3)
