Williams Wins in the Semifinals of the Divisional Championships against Amherst 6-3

Philadelphia, PA - The Williams Men's Squash team played in the second round of the Divisional National Championships, The Hoehn Cup, where they faced off against Amherst. There were many close matches down the line, but the Ephs showcased their grit and pulled through in those key moments to take the match 6-3.

First up in the first round of matches was John Nicholson at the 9 seed, who lost 3-0. Next up was Alex Akbari at the 6 seed, who played dominating squash in the first two games, but a few errors cost him a close third game 14-12. However, he regrouped and won the fourth 11-5. Last up was Nick Agger at the 2 seed, who also started strong, winning the first two games, but a lapse cost him the third. He also got back on track and won 3-1.

Starting off the second round of matches for the Ephs was co-captain Andrew Minnis at the 3 seed, who had a commanding 3-0 victory, notably coming back from down 8-3 in the second. Asher Leavy at the 5 seed once again came through for Williams with a crucial five game victory. A few contested calls and errors cost him the first game, but he stayed headstrong and won a close second game 16-14 in the tiebreak. He unfortunately dropped the third game, but showed his grit in the fourth after going down 10-9 match ball but still winning 14-12. He then won the fifth game solidly 11-4. Pierce Henderson at the 7 seed also had a crucial win. After a slow start, he dropped the first game, but then regrouped and won the next two. However, a few errors cost him the fourth, and in the fifth game he went down 10-7 match ball. He then played some of his best squash all season, hitting several incredible winners to win 5 points in a row, taking his match 12-10 in the fifth, also securing the win for Williams.

Last on the court for Williams was co-captain Will Evans at the 1 seed. He faced a talented opponent and lost 3-0. Next up was Jack Lee at the 4 seed, who continued his undefeated winning streak with a solid 3-0 win over his opponent. Last on the court for the Ephs was Hudson Lin at the 8 seed, who played a best of three match against his opponent as the overall match had been decided, in which he unfortunately lost 2-1.

It was a good victory for Williams, and they look forward to playing the final tomorrow against the University of Rochester for 13th in the nation.