Bennington, VT- Williams women's tennis made their Spring season debut, going head-to-head against Swarthmore in a non-conference matchup. Despite the rain forcing play indoors, the Ephs brought the energy and were able to secure a decisive 9-0 victory.
The Ephs started doubles off strong, reuniting pairings from the fall season. Margaux Molyneux and Jane Ladaga set the pace, quickly claiming a victory of 8-2 at #2 doubles, securing the Ephs' their first win of the day. Ahn Lin and Annabelle Siegel were right behind them, handling a hard hitting duo to secure a 8-3 win at #3 doubles. Yuu Ishikawa and Erica Ekstrand, who reached the finals of the NCAA doubles championships in 2022, had a more difficult time, but were able to utilize their crisp volleys and steady baseline games to take the match at #1 doubles 8-6 after being down 5-6.
Despite securing a 3-0 lead, Swarthmore showed resilience in the singles competition, challenging the Ephs. Mia Thomann displayed patience at #3 singles against a consistent opponent, securing the match 6-3, 6-3 to get the Ephs their 4th win. At #1 and #2 singles, Ishikawa and Siegel faced formidable opponents. Despite dropping their first sets, both players were able to regroup over the set break to claim their second sets 6-1. While Siegel got off to a quick 5-0 lead in the third, her opponent mounted a fierce comeback, resulting in a nail-biting series of games. In a display of resilience and determination, Siegel ultimately secured the set 7-5, thus sealing the dual match 5-0 for the Ephs. Meanwhile, Ishikawa battled back and forth in the third set, ultimately coming out victorious.
At #4 singles, Ladaga faced a challenging situation but showcased her resilience by digging herself out of a deficit to claim victory with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-2. Ananya Aggarwal made her return to the court for her first match since the previous spring. Despite taking the fall off, she came out stronger than ever and secured a convincing win of 6-3, 6-2 at #5 singles.
The battle continued at #6 singles, where Julia Zhang played a close match against a formidable opponent. After winning the first set 6-3, Zhang faced a setback, dropping the second set 6-2 as her opponent adjusted tactics, coming into the net to finish points. However, Zhang saved her best for the third set tiebreak, unleashing a powerful performance to secure the win with a remarkable score of 10-7.
The Ephs are buzzing with excitement for the upcoming season, and this first match has instilled a considerable amount of confidence in the team, which skews relatively younger. Eph head coach Anik Cepeda said, "Today was a great opening day. They were clearly excited to compete — we'll keep working on the seconds between the points and making steady competitive decisions from start to finish tomorrow against NYU."
Results:
Doubles:
1) Yuu Ishikawa/Erica Ekstrand vs. Nathalie Williams/Erica Stutz 8-6
2) Jane Ladaga/Margaux Molyneux vs. Lola Diaz/Oviya Kumaran 8-2
3) Annabelle Siegel/Ahn Lin vs. Eda Mjekiqi/Spencer Watta 8-3
Singles:
1) Yuu Ishikawa vs. Nathalie Williams 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
2) Annabelle Siegel vs. Lola Diaz 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
3) Mia Thomann vs. Kathleen Shiffer 6-3, 6-3
4) Jane Ladaga vs. Jennifer Lewis 7-5, 6-2
5) Ananya Aggarwal vs. Oviya Kumaran 6-3, 6-2
6) Julia Zhang vs. Erica Stutz 6-3, 2-6, 10-7
