Ephs Finish Second to Cornell, Beat William Smith

ITHACA, NY - On a brisk Saturday in Ithaca, the Ephs took on Cornell and William Smith in their first matches of the season.

As is typical for the Ephs, both matches were played using the 3 court system. In the first match of the day against Cornell, senior captain Esther Baek (#3), freshman Alex Pear (#6), and sophomore Cassie Deshong (#8) led the charge in the first wave of play. Baek battled hard to take the first game in the first match on top court, but despite her valiant effort, she eventually fell in 4 games. Pear and Deshong fought hard but were met by tough opponents and were each beaten in 3 games. Next on for the Ephs were sophomore Sarah Willwerth (#2), freshman Kathryn Wright (#5), and sophomore Adrienne Conza (#7). After going down 0-2, Wright battled back to take the third game by a score of 11-9, but ultimately was outlasted in game 4. Both Willwerth and Conza gave their Bears opponents good runs, but in the end fell in three games. The last wave of matches featured sophomores Julia Ward (#1) and Abby LeBlanc (#4). Trailing 0-2 in games, LeBlanc waged a furious comeback to level the score at 2-2. With all of Ithaca watching, LeBlanc and her opponent played a back and forth fifth game which eventually ended in favor of Cornell 15-13. Ward came out guns blazing to take the first game 11-2. Despite this hot start, she was bested in four games. 

Only a couple hours after finishing the match against Cornell, the Ephs were back on court to face William Smith. Leading off for the Ephs, Baek, LeBlanc, and Conza each delivered strong three game wins to get the team off to a great start. Feeding off the momentum provided from the first wave, Willwerth, Wright, and Pear continued the Ephs charge with another trio of 3-0 victories. Ward capped off the team win with yet another three game triumph. As a result of William Smith's shortage of players, Deshong was awarded a forfeit victory, leaving the Ephs with a convincing 8-0 win.

Sophomore Julia Ward had this to say after the match: "It was a great debut for the team, especially on the road. I was particularly pleased by the positive attitudes of everyone on our team. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going tomorrow!" 

The Ephs take on Hamilton and Connecticut College in Clinton, NY tomorrow morning at 10am.

Vs. Cornell:

Vs. William Smith: