Middlebury Defeats Williams 5-1 in NESCAC Semifinal

Williamstown, MA - For their NESCAC semifinal match the Ephs faced Middlebury in the rink due to rain. After going down 2-1 in doubles, the Ephs battled for every point but ultimately fell to the Panthers 5-1. Eph head coach Anik Cepeda reflects, "If two points had gone our way, the match would be tied at 3-3 right now. When you're that close and then lose it stings a little more than usual, but I know the squad will bounce back next week."

Doubles took off with high energy as both teams prepared themselves for the fight ahead. Number three doubles Mia Thomann and Annabelle Siegel fought off an early 1-2 break to go up 4-2, a lead they held until they won 8-6. Unfortunately number one and two fell to their Panther opponents which gave Middlebury the 2-1 lead going into singles.

Singles started off strong, with number one Katherine Orgielewicz taking her first set 7-5 hitting with impressive depth and moving fast across the entire court. Number three Thomann also came out of the gate hitting her heavy spin balls, taking the first set 6-4. Her opponent fought back in the second and took it 6-4. In the third, Thomann had an early lead until 5-4, when the Panther forced the set to a tiebreak and ultimately the Eph lost. 

While number five Ananya Aggarwal lost her first set, she bounced back and took the second 6-3. Meanwhile Orgielewicz battled for the second set, climbing back up from a 5-1 lead to tie it up and force a set tiebreak. In the end, despite a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak, the momentum swung to the Panther and she lost the set. Unable to grab a foothold in the third, Orgielewicz lost the match, which secured the overall 5-1 win for the Panthers. 

Cepeda adds, "We're all keeping our fingers crossed for an at-large bid into the NCAAs. They have some team goals to pursue, and I'd love to see them get after it for another couple of weeks. I definitely think they've earned that opportunity."

Complete Results:
Middlebury College (Midd) def. Williams College (Williams)
5-1

Doubles:
Sahana Raman / Amy Delman (Midd) def. Katherine Orgielewicz / Yuu Ishikawa (Williams)  
    8-1
Claudia Miller / Gena Huang (Midd) def. Jane Ladaga / Ananya Aggarwal (Williams) 
    8-4
Annabelle Siegel / Mia Thomann (Williams) def. Brinlea La Barge / Lulu Wu (Midd)
    8-6
    
Singles:
Sahana Raman (Midd) def. Katherine Orgielewicz (Williams) 
    5-7, 7-6(6), 6-0
Yuu Ishikawa (Williams) vs. Amy Delman (Midd)
    6-6(3) inc.
Lulu Wu (Midd) def. Mia Thomann (Williams) 
    4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)
Annabelle Siegel (Williams) vs. Nathalie van der Reis (Midd)
    inc.
Gena Huang (Midd) vs. Ananya Aggarwal (Williams) 
    6-4, 3-6, 4-5 inc.
Claudia Miller (Midd) def. Jane Ladaga (Williams) 
    6-4, 6-2