WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The Ephs defeated the Drexel Dragons 7-2 this afternoon, collecting a decisive win over one of their biggest rivals in the CSA. A year ago the Ephs lost to Drexel 6-3, but were determined to improve on their performance, which they certainly did today.
Playing the three-court system, first on court were Ellen Coombe (#9), Charlotte Walsh (#6), and Melissa Swann (#3). Both Coombe and Walsh dominated the first home match of their senior season, showing their experience by refusing to let their opponents get even a single game between the two of them. On the top court, Swann fought hard against an extremely skilled opponent, but fell 3-0, making the overall match score 2-1 to the Ephs.
In the next round of matches, Caroline Hogan (#8), Anna Nicholson (#5), and Esther Baek (#2) were on court. Hogan dominated her first game, and despite loosing the second game 16-14 in a nail-biting tiebreaker, she won the next two games to gain another point for the Ephs. Nicholson won in a similar fashion, only dropping the second game before winning the last one 13-11 to get her team their fourth point in the match. Baek also faced an extremely tough opponent and, despite fighting hard and making her opponent work, fell in three tight games.
With the match at 4-2 to the Ephs, captain Alyssa Ritchie (#7), Ananya Mahalingam-Dhingra (#4), and Nicole Friedman (#1) were last on court. Ritchie went into to a fifth game with her opponent, but remained dominant until the end and won 3-2. Mahalingam-Dhingra only dropped the second game and eventually defeated her Drexel opponent 12-10 in the fourth. Friedman likewise stayed strong from start to finish, and finished off the match by winning 3-1 and making the overall score 7-2 to the Ephs. Eliza Bower (#10) also completely dominated her opponent in the exhibition match, winning 3-0.
Eph head coach Zafi Levy had this to say about the match: "Fantastic win for the women's team. We were really nervous before the match as we are still missing one of our top players who is abroad but the ladies stepped up and played great top to bottom!"
Captain Alyssa Ritchie agreed with this sentiment, stating "The women's team had an incredibly strong showing today against Drexel. Each player had a great match and showed strong mental toughness against a difficult opponent. It was a very exciting first home match and I am proud that this result shows how hard each woman has been working and how much everyone has improved since this fall."
The team will next face Princeton at 11am and Wellesley at 2pm tomorrow to finish off their home opener weekend.
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Williams College
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Rating
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Drexel University
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Rating
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Winner's Score
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Winner
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Status
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1WS
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Friedman, Nicole T.
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4.46641
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Morgan, Ryan
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4.64736
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11-9,11-9,7-11,12-10
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Williams College
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C
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2WS
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Baek, Esther
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4.13199
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Hughes, Hayley
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4.83534
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12-10,11-8,11-8
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Drexel University
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C
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3WS
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Swann, Melissa
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4.20953
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Fung-A-Fat, Mary S.
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4.49732
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11-7,11-3,11-6
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Drexel University
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C
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4WS
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Mahalingam-Dhingra, Ananya
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4.08762
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Power, Fiona
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4.41689
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11-6,8-11,11-5,12-10
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Williams College
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C
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5WS
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Nicholson, Anna P.
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4.12337
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Addepalli, Apoorva
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3.87654
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11-5,8-11,11-8,13-11
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Williams College
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C
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6WS
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Walsh, Charlotte
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4.20737
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Bottger, Kathryn G.
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3.7221
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11-0,11-3,11-2
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Williams College
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C
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7WS
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Ritchie, Alyssa
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4.01052
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Diagama, Maria A.
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3.89492
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8-11,11-3,11-2,9-11,11-7
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Williams College
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C
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8WS
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Hogan, Caroline M.
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3.97268
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Money, Kaitlyn
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4.06768
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11-2,14-16,11-7,11-4
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Williams College
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C
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9WS
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Coombe, Ellen A.
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4.16503
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Giltvedt, Kristine
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3.48646
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11-4,11-6,11-9
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Williams College
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C
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10WS
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Bower, Elizabeth
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3.71241
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White, Jennifer
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Lapsed-member
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11-2,11-1,11-6
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Williams College
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C
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