Ephs play Drexel Dragons and University of Pennsylvania Quakers

After a rather demoralizing day against the strong Princeton lineup yesterday, today felt like a chance to get our groove back. The team work up early in Philadelphia, after travelling the night before, for our morning match at 10. We warmed up and began to play the dragons at their home courts. Melissa Swann at number 9 had a fast match, working quickly and efficiently to finish her opponent in 3 strong, clean games. Co-Captain Hayley Parsons at 2 and Co-Captain Ananya Mahalingam Dhingra at 5 both lost in 4 but had strong performances and kept the rallies long by establishing length. Anna Nicholson at 8 had a slow start but then began playing hard eventually, but lost in 4 as well. Abby Leblanc at 7 had a strong win against her opponent; she established good length and worked hard to win in 4. Julia Ward at 3 also fought hard, losing in 4 after a strong match against a very intense opponent. Julia did a great job of switching up the pace of her ball and moving her opponent to the corners. Nicole Friedman at number 1 had a very exciting victory, after a well-fought, beautifully played match against a formidable opponent. Sarah Willwerth at 6 lost in 3 but had a close 3^rd game which could absolutely have gone her way. Esther Baek at 4 lost in 3 against another talented player but played well.

After this tough match, we gathered our things and journeyed across town to the University of Pennsylvania. We began warming up and were slightly intimated by the idea of playing one of the top teams in the nation. Surprisingly and pleasantly, we absolutely stepped up to the plate and had an incredibly close match. Melissa Swann won, again, crisply in 3, continuing on with her momentum. Hayley Parsons and Anna Nicholson also beat their opponents. This was an exciting and interesting start to the match, which we had expected to be a Penn Landslide Victory. Julia Ward then had a close 5 gamer against her opponent but lost in a very close 5^th game. Nicole Friedman played well but lost in 3 to one of the best players in the country. Abby Leblanc had a close, gritty match that she lost in 4 games but could easily have been a 5 game victory. Esther had a very close 3 gamer, but ultimate lost to a strong opponent.

Co-Captain Hayley Parsons says about this weekend: "It was a great opportunity to play some of the best teams in the country and I think that the whole team played their best regardless of the outcome."