Medford, MA - In their second double-header for the weekend, Williams faced Tufts on their home courts in eastern Massachusetts. Despite several close battles, the Ephs fell to the Jumbos 7-2.
Head Coach Anik Cepeda reflects, "They have to be more consistently competitive in the 20 seconds between points. And against a quality opponent like Tufts they have to do it for the duration of the 4-5hr match. It's a tall order, but one that's completely in their control."
Number one team
Katherine Orgielewicz and
Yuu Ishikawa as well as number two team
Jane Ladaga and
Ananya Aggarwal both played tough doubles matches. Aggarwal and Ladaga fought back from 6-3, giving their opponents a closer competitive fight, while Orgielewicz and Ishikawa remained undefeated on the doubles court. Ultimately, Aggarwal and Ladaga fell in close eight-game pro-sets, while number three doubles team
Maya Jamroz and
Mia Thomann also lost their match.
Down 1-2 overall, the Ephs faced the pressure in singles. Number three player Ishikawa battled hard, winning the first set in a close tiebreaker at 7-6 and had opportunities to close in the second set at 5-3 but ultimately had to retire in her third set to preserve her strength for California. Number one player Orgielewicz, on the other hand, defeated her Jumbo opponent with a solid 6-2, 6-3, as the only Eph to win their singles match. In fact, in the second set, Orgielewicz was down 3-0, and was able to win 6 straight games to win the set 6-3.
However, both number two and four players Thomann and Aggarwal respectively had tough sets each, but ultimately were not able to convert the matches to wins. Aggarwal lost the first set 6-1 but changed the second set around to fight 7-5. Freshman Thomann has been challenging many upperclassmen on the court and getting into her groove, finding her place and voice on the college tennis court.
Maya Jamroz played her second singles match back after an injury and is working on moving in and ending the point at the net. She continues to bring her competitive fight and serve as a role model to her team in her last Spring season as senior captain.
With Spring break on the horizon, the Ephs look forward to their training trip in California, where they will play Caltech on Monday, March 20th in Pasadena for their first match. Cepeda adds, "I didn't see any glaring differences in tennis level today - the coaching staff really believes in this squad. We're looking forward to our California swing, where everyone will have chances to bounce back."
Complete Results:
Williams College vs. Tufts University
Doubles:
Katherine Orgielewicz /
Yuu Ishikawa (Williams) def. Rachel Cranley / Rebecca Lim (Tufts)
8-5
Sophie Wax / Zoe Kava (Tufts) def.
Jane Ladaga /
Ananya Aggarwal (Williams)
8-6
Madeline Suk / Caroline Garrido (Tufts) def.
Mia Thomann /
Maya Jamroz (Williams)
8-0
Singles:
Katherine Orgielewicz (Williams) def. Sophie Wax (Tufts)
6-2, 6-3
Rachel Cranley (Tufts) def.
Mia Thomann (Williams)
7-5, 6-2
Lucy Mitchell (Tufts) def.
Yuu Ishikawa (Williams)
6-7(5), 7-6(1), 1-0 ret.
Rebecca Lim (Tufts) def.
Ananya Aggarwal (Williams)
6-1, 7-5
Madeline Suk (Tufts) def.
Jane Ladaga (Williams)
6-1, 6-1
Zoe Kava (Tufts) def.
Maya Jamroz (Williams)
6-1, 6-3
