AMHERST, MA -- In the first match of the NESCAC tournament, the Ephs played the Amherst Mammoths for the second week in a row. The Ephs were able to flip the score from the last matchup which was last weekend, winning 5-4 instead.
First on court today were
Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis (#7),
Rhea Pandit (#5),
Rachel Miller (#3), and
Melanie Wang (#2). Jefferson-Sambanis won, flipping her match from the week before in three straight games, hitting straight drives and cutting off deep drives from her opponent. Pandit won her match in four games using volleys and stepping forward to take time away from her Mammoth opponent. Miller lost 3-0 and Wang fell 3-2.
The last round of players were
Deena Iqbal (#8),
Theresa Kay (#4),
Nora Brant (#9), and
Sophia Koehler (#1). Brant was able to maintain her score from last week by winning in three straight games and add another point for the Williams Ephs. Koehler played a tight and exciting five game match starting with a 2-0 lead with a tough opponent. She hit tight drops and dying lengths, but was ultimately unable to add another point for the team.
Anika Kakarla and
Deena Iqbal delivered 3-0 wins to secure the 5-4 win
After the match, head coach
Hesham Aly commented, "I think the team played well today, everyone showed up for each other today and throughout their training this week, and we saw the results we wanted to see."
The Ephs are looking forward to playing Trinity Bantams, who are ranked at #1 in the nation in the NESCAC semifinals on Sunday.
