Ephs in the NESCAC Finals After Beating Wesleyan & Amherst

Middletown, CT – This afternoon, the Williams Women's Squash played Wesleyan (quarter-finals) and Amherst (semi-finals) at Day 2 of the NESCAC Championships, repeating last week's matchups.

First up today against Wesleyan was Julia Ward (#1), Quan Ng (#5), and Co-Captain Anna Nicholson (#7). Ward battled through a tough five game match against her Cardinal opponent. Despite saving multiple game and match balls, Ward unfortunately fell short 11-13 in the fifth game. Ng and Co-Captain Nicholson both had very straightforward matches winning 3-0.

Second on court against Wesleyan was Haley Jefferson (#2), Abby LeBlanc (#6), and Kathryn Wright (#8). Jefferson, LeBlanc, Wright each played smart squash to close their matches in straight games. 

Last on court was Sarah Willwerth (#3), Co-Captain Melissa Swann (#4), and Alex Pear (#9). Rested and rejuvenated, the three Lady Ephs stormed the courts to earn the 9-0 win for Williams and a spot in the semi-finals. 

The second match of the day was against long-time rivals Amherst in the semi-finals. 

Top court had a tough time beating the Mammoths as Ward and Willwerth won 3-2 and 3-1, respectively. After losing to the Amherst #1 last week, Ward sought redemption and earned her win 11-8 in the fifth game. Willwerth dropped the first game 10-12, but then fought back to win her match 3-1. Jefferson was the only player on the top court who won 3-0 as she was playing incredible squash and not giving her opponent a chance to put away the ball. 

Middle court displayed a strong showing this evening as all three Ladies won in straight games. Despite winning the first game easily, both Co-Captain Swann and Ng had a tough second game winning 11-9 but were able to refocus in the third game to win their matches. 

Bottom court struggled against their Amherst opponents. First up was Co-Captain Nicholson who emerged victorious in five games. After being 2-0 down, she exhibited exemplary determination and focus to come back win the match 3-2. Following her lead, Kamat found herself locked in a five-game battle against her opponent. She found herself 4-7 down in the fourth game, but she fought valiantly to win the game 11-9 and then crushed the fifth game to win her match 3-2. Last up on court was Wright who sealed the deal in three straight games, not even giving her Mammoth opponent a chance. 

Co-Captain Swann said: "Our team put up three great performances this weekend. After playing Wesleyan and Amherst last weekend in the Little Three Championships, we knew they would come into our matches looking for revenge. It can be difficult to beat an opponent two times in a row, so I was excited to see us come together and get such impressive individual wins this weekend. Then we faced Trinity in the finals. It's not often that we get an opportunity to play such a strong team. I was proud to see our players push themselves to raise their game. Kathryn Wright played especially well in her electric win against Trinity!"

Tomorrow, the Women's Squash Team will face Trinity in the NESCAC finals.