Ephs Fall to University of Virginia 9-0

ANNAPOLIS, MD - On Saturday afternoon, the Ephs travelled to the Naval Academy to face off against the UVA Hoos. 

This match was bound to be a difficult one for the Ephs as UVA's season has been off to a very successful start, but the Ephs were excited to battle it out nontheless. Eager to show off all of the improving they've been doing during winter study, this match was a good test of how the Ephs could play against top 10 teams. The Ephs used a five court system for this match. Senior captain Esther Baek (#2), sophomore Abby LeBlanc (#4), junior Anna Nicholson (#6), freshman Alex Pear (#8), and junior Eliza Bower (#10) led the charge for the Ephs in the first wave of play. All five were met with tough opponents, and despite their long and hard fought rallies, were unable to take a game from their opponents and were eventually defeated in three. Trailing 0-5 in the match score, the Ephs readjusted their goals and decided not to focus on the score but instead to focus on the quality of their rallies. The Ephs worked hard to achieve their goal, trying their best to put the ball in the back of the court and gain control of the 'T'. Sophomore Julia Ward (#1), sophomore Sarah Willwerth (#3), junior Melissa Swann (#5), freshman Kathryn Wright (#7), and sophomore Adrienne Conza (#9) were next on for the Ephs. Ward fought hard to take a game from her opponent, but despite her valiant effort, she was eventually defeated in 4 games. Willwerth also gave her opponent good runs and had extremely tight scores, with game scores of 12-14 in the first and 11-13 in the third. Swann, Wright, and Conza all played their hearts out and had very impressive rallies against their Hoo opponents, but all ultimately lost in 3 games.

Assistant Coach Tom Hodgson had this to say after the match: "We were tested today against a top 10 team, and unfortunately, our game isn't quite at their level. However, I'm very pleased to see the high quality of squash in the individual rallies. We've come a long way since the beginning of the season. I look forward to seeing how we do in our big match against GW tomorrow.

The Ephs take on George Washington University tomorrow afternoon at 12pm in Wasington, DC.