Middletown, CT- The Women's tennis team took on the No. 4 ranked Wesleyan Cardinals this afternoon in NESCAC play.
The Ephs got off to a strong start in doubles, with all the matches going toe to toe. Unfortunately, around halfway through doubles rain brought the match indoors which shifted the momentum and playing style in favor of the Cardinals. Doubles pairings were mixed up again due to Erica Ekstrand being out with an injury. Jane Ladaga and Margaux Molyneux played together at #3 doubles against a formidable team. While they managed to string together quite a few beautiful points, they ended up losing 8-3 right before the match was taken indoors. At #1 doubles, Yuu Ishikawa and Annabelle Siegel initially went up 5-2 using Siegel's power at the baseline and Ishikawa's finesse at net. Their opponents managed to get it to 5-4 and a slow start indoors led to their opponents running away with the match for a final scoreline of 8-5. Ahn Lin and Mia Thomann had a close match at #2 doubles. After trading off games with their opponents in the beginning, Thomann and Lin got into a rhythm and found themselves up 5-3. It was at this point the match was sent indoors. Despite fighting hard, the two did not adjust fast enough and lost 8-6.
The Ephs were down 3-0 going into singles. Ananya Aggarwal faced a hard-hitting yet consistent baseline at #5 singles. Although initially going down 4-0, she fought back to make it 5-5. Aggarwal ended up losing the first set 7-5, and lost the second set 6-0 with 4 games going to deuce. Jane Ladaga got off to a slow start at #4 singles. After going down 6-0, 5-1, Ladaga started to find her game to get it to 5-4. Unfortunately, she ended up falling in the second set 6-4. This gave Wesleyan 5 points to secure the dual match victory.
Despite the match being decided, the Ephs continued to fight hard and found some success. At #3 singles, Mia Thomann played a powerful baseliner. Similarly to Aggarwal, despite many close games she fell 6-1, 6-3. Margaux Molyneux had an extremely close match at #6 singles. She stayed true to her game and narrowly lost 7-6, 6-4. At #1 singles, Ishikawa managed a remarkable win against a seasoned opponent. After taking the first set 6-4, she lost the second set 6-0. Despite the scoreline of the previous set, Ishikawa put it behind her and played her best tennis in the tiebreaker to take it 10-6. At #2, Annabelle Siegel played a tricky and passionate opponent. The match consisted of long rallies with amazing shots hit from both sides. After dropping the first set 6-4, Siegel fired back to win the second 6-3. The tiebreaker was a nail biter, but despite a rowdy crowd Siegel took the win 11-9.
Eph head coach Anik Cepeda commented about the match, "We started off well in doubles on two courts and then had a brief moment of uncertainty, maybe wavering in our belief or our plan. That's when Wesleyan capitalized and made us feel it. That's what great programs do. I know we can be lights out this year. It's coming … there's going to be a match when everyone — all 9 of them — give one another their best competitive selves. It won't be perfect, but it'll be electric. I hope they make it happen soon so we can take that feeling and lesson with us into post-season play." The Ephs will take on Trinity tomorrow at 2 PM in Hartford, Conn.
