AMHERST, MA. – Williams vs.
Amherst. Nothing gets better than an Ephs and Lord Jeffs
showdown in any sport, in any season. In Division III
women's tennis, it just so happens that the conference
archrivals stand atop the rankings as the number one and two teams
in the nation. Add the fact that Amherst headed into this
match undefeated against DIII opponents, a recipe for an epic match
takes form.
Yesterday senior co-captain Grace Baljon made the point that
this match would be the one opportunity for the Ephs to take the
pressure off of themselves as the lower ranked team, and really
stick it to their opponents. It appears Williams took
Baljon's words to heart. The Ephs (11-2, 2-0 NESCAC)
were calm and collected in their biggest match of the season thus
far, dealing top-ranked Amherst (11-1, 4-1) a 6-3
defeat.
“This match is less about the rankings, and more about a
rivalry match between Williams and Amherst,” said Williams
head coach Alison Swain. “Any time we play against each
other it is one of the highlights of the season and we are thrilled
with the end result.”
The match began outdoors at Amherst, but was moved to an
indoor facility at Mt. Holyoke twenty minutes away once rainy
weather began. The mid-match interruption did nothing to stop
the Ephs flow, as they dominated in doubles play and continued
solid play into the singles lineup. Williams was victorious
in all three doubles matches. Caroline Capute and Lucy
Marchese were particularly dominant at court three, losing only
game in an 8-1 showing against Amherst's Caroline Richman and
Carlissa King.
Grace Baljon and Taylor French defeated their two opponents in a
tiebreak in their October 3 showdown this fall, and delivered
another win. This time the Ephs' number one team
avoided a tiebreak, and took care of business with an 8-6
win. Kristin Alotta and Nikki Reich completed the sweep with
an 8-6 win at court two.
“Our doubles wins gave us some confidence and momentum
going into singles,” continued Swain. “We played
such a tough schedule in the last three weeks, and that really
helped us stay mentally tough and focus on our game.”
In singles, Baljon avenged her fall loss to Brittany
Berckes. The two players have faced off against one another
seven times since 2006. Five of those matches were decided in
three sets, including their most recent match up. Baljon sent
a message in a straight set win, fighting to the wire in both
sets. She finished on top, 7-5, 7-6(6).
Alotta dealt Laura Danzig her only loss against DIII competition
this season at court two, taking the match in three sets.
Reich, Marchese, and Worley lost at courts three, four, and five
respectively. Reich's match was close, and the Williams
junior lost her first set in a tiebreak and the second by a
break. Marchese fell in straight sets, while Worley lost
steam in the third set of her match. With the match already
determined, Capute defeated her opponent in a super breaker at
court six.
“Everyone gave everything they had today,” said
Williams junior Katie Friedman. “We fought through the ups
and downs, and we are so proud of each other.”
The Ephs will have just three days to recover from a two-match
weekend when they host #15 Middlebury on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.
Williams 6, Amherst 3
Doubles:
1) Grace Baljon/Taylor French (W)??? def. Brittany Berckes/Laura
Danzig (A) --- 8-6
2) Kristin Alotta/Nikki Reich (W)???def. Jill Wexler/Natasha
Brown (A) --- 8-6
3) Caroline Capute/Lucy Marchese (W) def. Caroline
Richman/Carlissa King (A) --- 8-1
Exhibition:
4) Jennifer Ouyang/Jennifer Kim (A) def. Ashley Parsons/Katie
Friedman (W) --- 8-2
5) Veronika Li/Nancy Worley (W) def. Kate Paul/Sarah Nyirjesy
(A) --- 9-7
Singles:
1) Grace Baljon (W) def. Brittany Berckes (A) --- 7-5, 7-6(6)
2) Kristin Alotta (W) def. Laura Danzig (A) --- 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
3) Carlissa King (A) def. Nikki Reich (W)???--- 7-6 (5), 6-4
4) Jill Wexler (A) def. Lucy Marchese (W) --- 6-2, 6-2
5) Natasha Brown (A) def. Nancy Worley (W) --- 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
6) Caroline Capute (W) def. Laken King (A) --- 6-7(7), 6-3, 10-6
Exhibition:
7) Caroline Richman (A) def. Parsons (W) --- 6-4, 6-3
8) Friedman (W) def. Charlotte Wilinksy (A) --- 7-5, 6-3
9) Li (W) def. Ouyang (A) --- 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7)
