WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – In their final match of the regular season, the Williams women's squash team challenged #10 Dartmouth. The Ephs displayed tremendous strength and grit in each close match, but a handful of unlucky turns led them to a 9-0 loss.
In top court's first round, #2
Quan Ng commenced with full intensity. She used an impressive array of shots to win games 1 and 3, 11-9 and 11-7, respectively. The Eph captain dropped games 2 and 4 in nail-biter finales and was unfortunately outplayed in the fifth to go down 3-2. Next door, #7
Nora Brant played a few close, quality games but fell in straight games. #4
Deena Iqbal had one of her best performances of the season. She implemented thoughtful tactics and powerful shots to take the first and second games. After a brief injury break, she returned to an extremely close third game that turned into a 14-12 win in her opponent's favor. Despite the young Ephs' never-ending intensity, Iqbal's opponent used her win in the third as momentum to come back and take games 4 and 5.
Next on, #3
Amanda Solecki and #9
Nikita Srivastava recovered from slow starts. Srivastava adjusted her tactics after dropping her first two games to win the third but unfortunately went down 3-1. Solecki combined skill with intense focus in her third. It wasn't quite enough to secure a game in today's match. #5
Mira Kamat battled another strong player and, too, was unable to steal a game.
Last up, #5
Roshni Pal and #8
Isabel Kelly locked into more intense games. Pal's great length and movement led her to a back-and-forth first game, but Dartmouth took it 13-11. She kept pushing but ended up going down in straight games. Similarly, Kelly had a strong showing before falling 3-0. Finally, #1
Haley Jefferson found herself in yet another extraordinary 4-game battle. The team's bad luck continued, and she dropped the first two games 11-9 and 12-10 respectively. Jefferson recouped and took the third 11-6 but lost the fourth and final game of the day.
The Ephs will spend the next week preparing to enter the NESCAC Championship as the 3-seed and host. Come to the Simon Squash Center Saturday and Sunday to support the team!
