Ephs Fall to Bates, Beat Colby

LEWISTON, ME - The Ephs came up just short in a brutally close encounter with Bates early on Saturday.

Leading off for the Ephs were freshman Wyatt Khosrowshahi (#3), sophomore Claude Smith (#6), and junior Will Ruggiero (#9). Khosrowshahi came out with a solid 3-1 win. Smith and Ruggiero both played five game battles, with Ruggiero able to put a second point on the board for the Ephs while Smith came up just short.

With the Ephs leading 2-1, junior John Fitzgerald (#2), sophomore David Pincus (#5), and senior co-captain Andrew Litvin (#8) took the court. Fitzgerald delivered with another 3-1 win. Pincus and Litvin played another set of battles as was a trend on the mid and bottom courts, but were both disappointed to finish second to two strong Bates opponents, leaving the match deadlocked at 3-3 going into the final wave of play.

Last on were sophomores Will Means (#1) and Carl Shuck (#4), joined by junior Ben Eisenberg (#7). Means had a tough match and was defeated in three games. Eisenberg was next to finish and put a crucial point on the board for the Ephs with a hard-fought five game victory, leaving the match all square at 4-4. In the decider, Shuck fought in a brutal match with a tough Bates opponent, but was ultimately beaten 3-2, leaving the Ephs one point short and giving the Bobcats a 5-4 win.

1. Mahmoud Yousry (B) def. William Means (W) 11-3, 11-4, 11-8
2. John Fitzgerald (W) def. Graham Bonnell (B) 11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4
3. Wyatt Khosrowshahi (W) def. McLeod Abbott (B) 11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6
4. Omar Attia (B) def. Carl Shuck (W) 5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-3
5. Anirudh Nambiar (B) def. David Pincus (W) 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 13-15, 11-9
6. Coley Cannon (B) def. Claude Smith (W) 7-11, 11-1, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6
7. Ben Eisenberg (W) def. Garon Rothenberg (B) 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6
8. Benni McComish (B) def. Andrew Litvin (W) 7-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-9
9. Will Ruggiero (W) def. Dylan Muldoon (B) 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 12-10

WATERVILLE, ME - In their second match of the day, the Ephs earned a strong 8-1 win over Colby.

First on were freshman Wyatt Khosrowshahi (#3), joined by senior co-captains Mason Elizondo (#6) and Jamie Havran (#9). Khosrowshahi earned a strong 3-0 win to get the Ephs going. Havran delivered another win, this time 3-1 over a solid Colby opponent. Elizondo battled with a stubborn Colby opponent before eventually coming out on top by a 3-2 scoreline.

Next on were juniors John Fitzgerald (#2) and Anand Butler (#8), along with sophomore David Pincus (#5). The two juniors each earned solid three game wins for the Ephs. Pincus was made to work a bit harder, losing the first game, but eventually came through with a 3-1 victory.

Closing for the Ephs were sophomores Will Means (#1) and Carl Shuck (#4), as well as junior Will Ruggiero (#7). Means and Shuck delivered another pair of 3-0 wins for the Ephs. Ruggiero stayed tough but in the end was beaten 3-1.