Ephs Overcome by Emory 5-4

ATLANTA, GA – Williams was defeated 5-4 by the Emory Eagles. Emory has won 6 NCAA titles. The Ephs lead Division III with 9 titles and 14 of the last 15 NCAA Division III titles have been won by Williams or Emory.  

"Emory had really strong starts in both doubles and singles," said head coach Alison Swain following the second loss of the season, "We made adjustments and fought back well, but credit to them for playing a great match."

Doubles got the day started, ending with one win and two losses. Juli Raventos '18 and Linda Shin '17 secured the only doubles win of the day when they overcame their opponents 8-4 after starting off behind 2-3 after the first five sets. Julia Cancio '18 and junior partner Hannah Atkinson fell 5-8 while Mia Gancayco '18 and Maya Hart '16 fell 3-8.

Juli Raventos '18 got things started in singles, securing the win over her Emory opponent in two sets. The Eagles countered when senior Beatrice Rosen overcame Hannah Atkinson '17 to regain the lead. Leah Bush '19 and Linda Shin '17 were also edged out by their opponents allowing Emory to clinch. Sophomores Julia Cancio and Mia Gancayco followed with victories through three sets to bring the final score on the day to 5-4.

The Ephs were coming into the final day of the Fab Five Tournament off a 9-0 win over DePauw and a 5-0 win over Trinity of Texas following the 5-2 loss to Georgia Gwinnet College on March 26^th. Emory was riding an undefeated weekend in the tournament with wins over DePauw, Trinity (Tex.), and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on March 25^th and 26^th.

"I think we have a lot to take away from our spring break trip this year and that we know what we need to focus on going forward," concluded Swain.

Williams topped Emory last year in the NCAA title tilt 5-4. That win marked the 11^th consecutive win over Emory, and the third during the NCAA title match. Prior to today, the last Eph loss to Emory occurred March 26, 2006.

Today marked the last day of the Ephs lengthy road trip to start the season and the last match of Spring Break. They now turn to the first home and conference matches against Middlebury College on April 9^th and Wesleyan and Connecticut College on the 10^th.