MIDDLEBURY, VT — The Ephs opened their conference play on Wednesday against tough NESCAC rival Middlebury, who came into the match having lost only two matches thus far this season: one to top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and the other to fellow Claremont side fourth-ranked Pomona-Pitzer. The Panthers had already opened their NESCAC season with a pair of straightforward victories against Hamilton and Connecticut College, and the Ephs proved to be no more of a challenge, as the Panthers jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead by the end of the doubles portion, on their way to a comfortable 8-1 victory.
The Panthers managed a feat that had yet to be done to the Ephs this season: complete the doubles sweep.
They put the Ephs on their heels very early on in the match with a quick 8-2 win at three-doubles thanks to the Panther combination of senior Chris Frost and freshman William de Quant.
The other two doubles matches were played out at much closer margins, but the results were no different, as both remaining Panther pairings bagged 8-5 victories.
"We were asleep in doubles," were the words used by Eph head coach Dan Greenberg after a disappointing doubles performance: "We really just can't afford to go down 3-0 to these teams."
With this sharp jolt to their systems, the Ephs went into singles needing a monumental effort, but in spite of their fight, the Panthers had too much in the tank for the Ephs to be able to make up their early deficit.
The first two matches off the court at one- and two-singles saw the Panthers clinch the match, with junior Ari Smolyar downing Eph junior Jose Raventos in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, before his freshman compatriot Noah Farrell finished off Eph junior Alexander Schidlovsky 6-3 and 6-2 to hand the Panthers the overall win.
In spite of the seemingly dominant Middlebury performance up to that point, three of the four remaining matches went to super tiebreakers (in lieu of third sets since the match had already been decided).
Eph sophomore Rohan Shastri earned the Ephs their lone point of the match at the number three position, coming back from a set down to outlast Panther junior Palmer Campbell 10-5 in the super tiebreaker.
Unfortunately, fellow Eph sophomore Conrad Harron at four-singles could not follow Shastri's example, as Panther junior Jackson Frons managed to reverse the scoreline from court 3 in favor of the Panthers, besting Harron 10-5, after Harron had fought back well in the second set to level the match at one set apiece.
The likes of de Quant and Panther freshman Timo van der Geest polished off the dual for the Panthers, as each took their matches at five- and six-singles over Grodecki and Raghavan respectively: the former 10-7 in a super tiebreaker, the latter in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
"We competed a little better in singles but credit to them, because they took it to us," added Greenberg after the match.
Greenberg will be looking for a more competitive Eph side this weekend as the Ephs' focus shifts south to Connecticut. Their first contest of a two-match weekend will be away against little-three rival Wesleyan, and that match is scheduled to start Saturday afternoon at 1 PM EDT.
Middlebury 8, Williams 1
1. Smolyar, Ari (MIDDLEBURY) def. Raventos, Jose (WILLIAMS) 6-3, 6-3
2. Farrell, Noah (MIDDLEBURY) def. Schidlovsky, Alexander (WILLIAMS) 6-3, 6-2
3. Shastri, Rohan (WILLIAMS) def. Campbell, Palmer (WILLIAMS) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(5)
4. Frons, Jackson (MIDDLEBURY) def. Harron, Conrad (WILLIAMS) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0(5)
5. de Quant, William (MIDDLEBURY) def. Grodecki, Brian (WILLIAMS) 4-6, 6-0, 1-0(7)
6. van der Geest, Timo (MIDDLEBURY) def. Raghavan, Sachin (WILLIAMS) 6-3, 6-4
1. Campbell, Palmer/Heidrich, Peter (MIDDLEBURY) def. Sadowsky, Jordan/Schidlovsky, Alexander (WILLIAMS) 8-5
2. Smolyar, Ari/Farrell, Noah (MIDDLEBURY) def. Raventos, Jose/Shastri, Rohan (WILLIAMS) 8-5
3. Frost, Chris/de Quant, William (MIDDLEBURY) def. Grodecki, Brian/Raghavan, Sachin (WILLIAMS) 8-2
Match Notes:
Williams 6-6, nationally ranked #14, regionally ranked #3
Middlebury 12-2, nationally ranked #6, regionally ranked #2
