MIDDLEBURY, VT -- For the first away match of the 2024 year, the Williams Ephs traveled to Vermont to play the Middlebury Panthers, ranked at #16. The Ephs fought hard, but fell 5-4 against Middlebury, a big upset from the years before.
On first today were
Rhea Pandit (#5),
Deena Iqbal (#9), and
Melanie Wang (#2). All three first round matches were won by the Ephs. Pandit and Wang won in four games, and both kept focused throughout the match, hitting tight shots and moving well. Iqbal won her match in three games with long rallies and hard cross courts.
Next on court were first years
Rachel Miller (#3),
Anika Kakarla (#6), and co-captain
Nora Brant (#8). Miller won her match in three straight games; she won by staying in front of her Panther opponent and hitting tight drives. Kakarla fell in four games, but played tough squash throughout the match. Brant fell in three games to her Middlebury opponent, despite a hard fight.
The last round of matches were played by first years
Sophia Koehler (#1),
Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis (#7), and then co-captain
Theresa Kay (#4). Kay played two full games, and had to default in the third from a previous injury. Koehler and Jefferson-Sambanis both fell to their Panther opponents in the last round.
After the match, head coach
Hesham Aly commented, "We were disappointed by the outcome today, but we have to learn from the loss and bring the intensity for the Dartmouth match coming up."
The Ephs are looking forward to playing Dartmouth, ranked #11 on Wednesday.
