WILLIAMSTOWN,
MA. – Top-seeded Amherst (16-1) defeated second-seeded
Williams (14-1) for the second time this season, 5-4, to claim
their fifth consecutive NESCAC championship. The
Lord Jeffs remained collected after a 2-1 hole in doubles play,
coming from behind to take four of the six singles matches to grab
the win.
“We were excited to go up 2-1 in
doubles,” said Ephs head coach Alison Swain. “To their credit, they
came out and played really good first sets in singles play, and
even though we played solid second sets, we did not respond in
enough time. The team is upset, but it's
important to reflect on these losses and then move forward, and
that's what we can take from today.”
Williams' Nikki Reich and Cary
Gibson lost at court one to Brittany Berckes and Natasha Brown,
8-6. Taylor French
and Grace Baljon paired up at court two for a dominant 8-2 showing,
while Kristin Alotta and Annie Hancock put the Ephs up with an 8-6
win at court three.
Amherst responded well to the deficit, winning
the first two singles matches to go ahead 3-2.
Laken King defeated Lucy Marchese, 6-0, 7-5, while Baljon fell at
court one to Berckes, 6-1, 6-2. The last time Baljon and Berckes
met, Baljon came out on the winning end in a thrilling three set
match but couldn't overpower
Amherst's number one player in today's contest.
Annie Hancock evened the match at three
apiece, winning in straight sets over Amelia Bell at court six,
6-3, 6-2. The tie was short lived as Reich fell
at court three. Amherst's Jill Wexler was in the
driver's seat of her match, winning at love in the first
set. Reich
rebounded to take second set, 6-4, before falling by a break in the
third set. Kristin
Alotta knotted up the score once more, cruising to a 6-1 second set
to take the match at court four over Natasha Brown.
Amherst's Carlissa King won the decisive
fifth point for her squad, when after a 4-4 tie, she kept her cool
when serving for the match to close out a 6-2 third set in a
three-set battle with Gibson. Gibson had taken
the second set, 7-5, but could not keep up her momentum in the
final frame.
Last season, Williams also fell in the NESCAC
title match to Amherst by an identical score, before powering
through the top teams in the country to win a national
championship.
Amherst 5,
Williams 4
Doubles-
1)
Berckes/Brown (A) def. Reich/Gibson (W) --- 8-6
2)
French/Baljon (W) def. Ankola/Bell (A) --- 8-2
3)
Alotta/Hancock (W) def. Danzig/Wexler (A) --- 8-6
Singles-
1)
Brittany Berckes (A) def. Grace Baljon (W) --- 6-1, 6-2
2)
Carlissa King (A) def. Cary Gibson (W) --- 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
3)
Jill Wexler (A) def. Nikki Reich (W) --- 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
4)
Kristin Alotta (W) def. Natasha Brown (A) --- 7-6(3), 6-1
5)
Laken King (A) def. Lucy Marchese (W) --- 6-0, 7-5
6)
Annie Hancock (W) def. Amelia Bell (A) --- 6-3, 6-2
