Women's Squash Downs Midd 6-3

PRINCETON, NJ - The second day of the CSA National Team Championships ended with a 6-3 victory for the Ephs, who upset Middlebury to advance to the consolation finals of the Kurtz Cup (B Division). This is the third time the Ephs have taken on the Panthers this season. The first ended in a 5-4 victory and the second in a 5-4 defeat, so while Williams was the underdog, they knew they had the possibility to come out on top. 

Williams came out of the gate strong, winning two out of the three first round matches. Caroline Sawin (#3) was the first Eph off the court with a victory, finishing her opponent off 11-8 in the fourth game. After shaking off the nerves, Maria Pylypiv (#9) came back to take her match 3-1 after dropping the first game. Lily Grant (#6) fought a tough battle on her court. After losing the first game 11-9, she pulled out a 15-13 win in the second game, but fell the next two 11-3 and 11-9 to lose the match in four games. 

With Williams leading 2-1 going into the second round of matches, the Ephs carried that momentum with them and again took two out of the three matches in the second round. Charlotte Walsh (#9) fought off a 2-0 game score deficit and took the third game 13-11. Walsh could not force a fifth game though and lost 11-6 in the fourth. Ellen Coombe (#5) and co-captain Ellie O'Neill (#6) both showed strength and poise in their respective matches, each coming away with a hard fought five game victory for Williams. O'Neill stormed to take a 2-0 lead in the match. However, her opponent was able to win the next two and force a fifth game. O'Neill made sure that her Middlebury adversary did not complete the come-back though, and toughed it out to finish the match off 11-7 in the fifth game. Coombe came back to win the second game 11-7 after losing the first 11-8. With the score tied at 1-1, Coombe won the third, but her opponent was able to tie the match 2-2 with an 11-9 victory in the fourth game. Coombe won with determination and stamina though, outlasting her opponent 11-9 in the fifth game.

The Ephs now found themselves up 4-2 in the overall match score, with a real possibility of completing the upset. They needed just one win in the final three matches, but they followed the pattern of the day, taking another two out of the three. Alyssa Ritchie (#7) was the first off the court for the Ephs in the third round, and was the player who clinched the match for the Ephs. Ritchie lost the first game, but rallied back to take the next two. Her opponent was able to tie the score at 2-2 and Williams was now faced with yet another five game match. Ritchie made sure the Ephs would get the win though, with a thrilling 14-12 victory in the fifth, taking the match 3-2, and getting Williams' fifth point of the day. 

Nicole Feshbach (#4) and co-captain Alyssa Northrop (#1) were still playing their matches, and trying to get two more points for Williams. Northrop crushed the first game 11-3, but her opponent came back to tie the match 1-1. Northrop took the third game, but Midd took the fourth, taking the match to another five gamer. This time however, Middlebury prevailed and won 11-6 in the fifth. Feshbach, after winning the first game, dropped the next two to find herself down 2-1. Feshbach was able to come back from behind though, to take the fourth 11-6, the fifth game 11-7 and win the match 3-2.

"I am so proud of all of my teammates," commented O'Neill. "Each and every one of us played extremely well. Our freshman in particular stepped up and stayed composed throughout their matches, all showing huge improvement from their earlier matches in the season."

Williams indeed came through in the high pressure situations all day. There were five five-game matches, and the Ephs came away with wins in four of them.

The weekend has one more match left in store and one more opponent to attempt to avenge an earlier loss. Williams will take on Drexel University in the consolation semi-finals at 12:30 pm on Sunday in the last match of the season. Williams traveled to Philadelphia in November to take on Drexel, but lost in a heartbreaking 5-4 fashion. The Ephs hope to pull off yet another upset and come out with a victory tomorrow.

Individual Scores: