Ephs Fall to Brown 6-3 in Final Home Match of the Season

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - On Wednesday evening, the Ephs battled against the Brown Bears in their final home match of the season.

This was a highly anticipated match for the Ephs, as Brown is only ranked one spot above them in the college rankings (#13 vs #12), and it would be a good test to see how they could fair against a tough opponent before heading into NESCACs this weekend. Sophomore Sarah Willwerth (#3), junior Anna Nicholson (#6), and sophomore Adrienne Conza (#9) led the charge for the Ephs in the first wave of play. Willwerth played a super competitive four games with her opponent which could have easily gone either way, but ultimately the victory fell in the hands of her opponent 11-7 in the fourth. Nicholson went on court fired up and ready to go and shocked her Bear opponent with a speedy 11-7 win. Unfortunately, Nicholson could not maintain this momentum and was outlasted in 4 games. Conza had a battle of epic proportions against her Brown opponent, proving that it is never too late to stage a comeback. Conza played the first games very evenly against her opponent, but ultimately lost them both 11-9. Being in an 0-2 hole, Conza turned the tide of the match completely. Battling back from being down 6-10 match ball in the third game, Conza fought like there was no tomorrow and pulled out the game 14-12. Her opponent, clearly shocked, was unable to regain control of the match and Conza eventually won 11-8 in the fifth. Senior captain Esther Baek (#2), sophomore Abby LeBlanc (#5), and freshman Alex Pear (#8) were on next for the Ephs. Baek, who celebrated her senior day today at the match, left everything on the court. She finished her matches on Williams' courts with a decisive 3-0 win against her Brown opponent, hyping up the rest of the team because the match score was now tied 2-2. LeBlanc also put another win on the board for the Ephs by defeating her opponent 11-7 in a tight four games. Pear, unfortunately, was unable to keep this momentum going and was met by a tough opponent whom she was unable to defeat and fell in 3 games. Sophomore Julia Ward (#1), junior Melissa Swann (#4), and freshman Kathryn Wright (#7) were last on for the Ephs. Ward had a long back and forth five game match with her opponent, pulling out two tough 13-11 game victories. Unfortunately, her Brown opponent proved to be unconquerable this particular afternoon and Ward eventually fell 11-3 in the fifth. Swann also had a tight match with her opponent, losing narrowly 11-9 in the fourth after many long and tiring rallies that could have gone either way. Wright played her heart out, but was met by an even speedier opponent, and despite her valiant effort, was defeated in 3 games.

Head coach Zafi Levy had this to say after the match: "The girls played well today and we pulled out some great wins throughout our ladder. This will hopefully not be the last time we face Brown this season so we need to learn from this match and improve for next time. I think the girls have great momentum going into NESCACs this weekend and pushing Brown was a good start to our weekend."

The Ephs will get the opportunity to take on Midd again and to play other NESCAC teams this weekend in Hartford, CT.