Middleburry, VT- The Ephs engaged in a long day of tennis at Middlebury today, playing two rounds of thrilling singles matches and one round of doubles. With a rollercoaster of moments, the Ephs competed hard and displayed a strong showing on the court.
To start the day off, the Ephs continued their match from the previous night against Skidmore. Birthday girl Annabelle Siegel got off to a quick lead against her opponent, and battled in the second set to secure the win 6-0, 7-5. Yuu Ishikawa played a brilliant first match, staying extremely solid throughout. After ripping many forehand winners, Ishikawa came out victorious with a score of 6-0, 6-0. Jane Ladaga showed off her unrivaled net game at #4 to take down her opponent 6-2, 6-2. Although Julia Zhang won 6-3, 6-3, her match took over two hours with both sides tracking down every single ball and rarely making errors. Unfortunately, Margaux Molyneux and Mia Thomann battled hard, but both came up short with scores of 4-6, 4-6 and 4-6, 6-7.
After a quick turnaround, the Ephs took on Middlebury in a singles round. Annabelle Siegel met again with Lulu Wu, who she played at ITAs earlier this season. Siegel used her power to force Wu into errors and won once again 6-1, 3-6, 10-3. Ishikawa played a closer match this round but held her belief winning 6-4, 6-3. Once again, Zhang frustrated her hard-hitting opponent by playing a scrappy game, securing the victory 6-3, 5-7, 10-2. Ladaga, Thomann and Molyneux didn't get the results they had wanted, but once again fought resiliently. Despite playing a solid first set, Thomann lost 6-2, 4-6, 2-10. Ladaga fell 6-4, 6-3 and Molyneux 3-6, 2-6.
The Ephs competed against Colby in doubles for the last round for the day. Things didn't come together as planned for Ladaga and Molyneux today, losing 5 deuces game. The pair ultimately fell 3-8 to a strong duo. Siegel and Lin had a blast on the court today, carrying positive energy throughout. They capitalized on net opportunities to pull ahead and win 8-4. Zhang and Thomann made their doubles debut. While they fought through some tough opening games, they problem-solved and were able to secure the victory 8-3.
Assistant coach for the day, Erica Ekstrand commented "It was such a great experience coaching the team today. They brought the energy, the fight, and the tennis today. I'm so proud of each person showing up with everything they had, which lifted the entire team up." Head Coach Anik Cepeda agreed, adding, "Today's on court body language was a step in the right direction competitively for our team. I'm excited to see how they build on this tomorrow!"Â
The Ephs will be back on the court bright and early tomorrow for the final day of the Panther Invite. They will play a singles and doubles round before returning to Williamstown.
