Ephs Sweep Hamilton 9-0 in Season Opener

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – The Ephs started off their season at home with a bang, taking down Hamilton 9-0 in the first match of the season. The women proved themselves resilient to first match nerves, and made a strong impression with their play. After graduating four of their top nine (including their top two players), the new Ephs squad made sure that there were no doubts that the freshman and veterans could fill in the holes in the ladder.

Friday evening's match began with two freshman, Charlotte Walsh (#9) and Alyssa Ritchie (#6), and junior Caroline Sawin (#3) all coming away with victories for the Ephs. Sawin moved up three places in the ladder from last year, and proved she was up for the challenge with a decisive 3-0 victory over her Hamilton adversary. Walsh and Ritchie both won their first collegiate squash matches 3-0 and 3-2, respectively.

Next up were junior Maria Pylypiv (#8), freshman Ellen Coombe (#5), and sophomore Nicole Feshbach (#2). Pylypiv is a new addition for women's squash, as she also plays tennis for Williams, but showed her skill and poise by storming back after dropping the first game to defeat her opponent 3-1 in her first match in the top 9. Feshbach had a similar result on the court next door, also coming back from losing the first game. Coombe had an impressive 3-0 victory in her first collegiate squash match.

Last but not least came sophomore Lily Grant (#7), junior co-captain Ellie O'Neill (#4), and senior co-captain Alyssa Northrop (#1). All three of them completed the Ephs strong evening with 3-0 victories.

O'Neill was happy with how the Ephs played on their opening day. "It feels great to start the season off on such a good note," commented O'Neill. "Everyone was excited and well prepared and it really showed."

Northrop agreed with her co-captain, acknowledging the dedication the team had to preparing for the weekend. "All the hard work everyone has been putting in was super obvious during the matches today. I am so proud of the way everyone stepped up for the first match of the season!" 

However, the women's opening home weekend does not stop here, as the Ephs will next return to court Saturday at noon to play Tufts. In addition, they take on Mount Holyoke at 6 pm on Saturday, and Tufts at noon on Sunday.

Individual Results: