WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - In a tmuch anticipated Friday encounter between #20 ranked Williams (7-3) and the #18 ranked U.S. Naval Academy (7-9), the Ephs took control from start to finish en route to a 7-2 victory.
First on court for the Williams men were senior co-captain Carl Shuck (#3), freshman phenom Udai Pal (#4), and senior David Pincus (#8). Shuck got behind on the eight ball early, losing the first game 11-9 and finding himself 10-7 down in the second, but fought back to win five straight points and win the game 12-10. Despite the push, Shuck was unfortunately unable to capitalize and was defeated 3-1 for Navy's first point of the day. Not to be outdone, the Ephs pegged the Midshipmen back immediately with wins from Pal and Pincus, with a pair of strong 3-1 wins to put the Ephs up 2-1, a lead they would only retain and build upon for the rest of the day's affair.
Looking to extend the lead, sophomore Jacob Bassil (#1), senior co-captain Will Means (#5), and freshman Charles "Chas" Merrill (#9). Merrill had his foot on the gas from the start and surged to a 3-0 win. Means dropped a tight first, but then took control winning the next three comfortably, taking the Ephs' lead to 4-1 and needing just one more point for the victory. With the match on the line, Bassil put in one of his performances of the season to capture a close 3-1 victory against a tough opponent, and close the match for the cows.
Although the full match was decided, the Ephs weren't finished. Juniors Wyatt Khosrowshahi (#2) and AJ Solecki (#6), joined by senior co-captain Claude Smith (#8) took to the court looking to extend the margin of victory. Smith put in a great performance and added yet another 3-0 win. Solecki took a strong 2-0 lead, but clearly hampered by illness, tired out slightly towards the finish and lost 3-2 for Navy's second and final point of the day. Khosrowshahi found himself locked in a similar five-game battle, but was able to outlast his opponent in a marathon 15-13 fifth game after being down several match balls.
The Ephs look to build on this momentum tomorrow at 11am at the Simon Squash Center against #9 ranked George Washington University, before another battle on Sunday at 12pm against #12 ranked Franklin and Marshall College.
|
Ladder Position
|
Williams
|
Navy
|
Match Score
|
Game Scores
|
|
1
|
Jacob Bassil
|
Jonathan Lentz
|
3-1
|
12-10, 12-10, 3-11, 13-11
|
|
2
|
Wyatt Khosrowshahi
|
Owen Davis
|
3-2
|
4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 15-13
|
|
3
|
Carl Shuck
|
Michael Kacergis
|
1-3
|
9-11, 12-10, 7-11, 4-11
|
|
4
|
Udai Pal
|
Millen Randall
|
3-1
|
11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8
|
|
5
|
Will Means
|
Ryan York
|
3-1
|
10-12, 11-4, 11-5, 11-3
|
|
6
|
AJ Solecki
|
Ben Korn
|
2-3
|
11-7, 12-10, 5-11, 8-11, 10-12
|
|
7
|
David Pincus
|
Thomas Rankin
|
3-1
|
11-13, 13-11, 11-5, 11-4
|
|
8
|
Claude Smith
|
Gus Prager
|
3-0
|
11-7, 12-10, 11-5
|
|
9
|
Charles Merrill
|
Joe Kacergis
|
3-0
|
11-5, 11-3, 11-7
|
|
10
|
Tucker van Eck
|
Thomas Prim
|
3-0
|
11-1, 11-5, 11-6
|
