MIDDLETOWN, CT – Today the Ephs traveled to Wesleyan were they won 8-1. Many new faces made their college squash debut today, all of them eager to put a point on the board for Williams. Co-Captain
Udai Pal says "Really happy with another great performance from the team. Definitely a lot of things we can work on but on the whole we are trending in the right direction."
Starting off the first round for the Ephs was
Leonard Lee, who used his accurate shots to quickly dispose of his opponent and win 3-0. Co-Captain
Udai Pal had a slow start, but managed to win the first 12-10. Once he warmed up to the courts however, he slotted in shots and decisively took the next two games.
John Nicholson also had a slow start, dropping the first two games. He regrouped and took the next two games, and it seemed as if he had seized the momentum of the match. However, he could not find his finishing shots and lost the fifth 11-9.
Starting off the second round was
Charles Merrill, who asserted himself in the first game and won 11-5. However, a brief loss of focus cost him the second game, but he regrouped and won the next two in style.
Andrew Minnis played with a no-nonsense attitude, having the fastest win of the day: 3-0 in 21 minutes at the two seed.
Andrew Lee won the first 11-7 but lost the second game due to unlucky errors. However, he regrouped and utilized every attacking shot in his arsenal to win the match.
And starting the third round for Williams was
Asher Leavy, who dominated the court and won swiftly in 3. Next up was
Alex Akbari, who put on a brilliant performance for his friends and family that came to watch. He used his tight rails and straight drops to win 11-2, 11-2, 11-7. And last on in the third round was
Rafay Syed, who stuck to his game plan and outplayed his opponent to take the last match for the Ephs, leaving the final score 8-1 in their favor.
It was a solid win for the Ephs, especially against another age-old rival. Williams now riding a 10-match win steak and capturing the 2023 Little Three title is looking to keep the momentum rolling into their next matches versus Chatham and Dartmouth.
