Williamstown, MA- The Ephs fell to the Amherst mammoths this afternoon 6-3. Despite a strong effort in singles, an early 3-0 setback in doubles proved difficult to overcome.
In #1 doubles, Yuu Ishikawa and Erica Ekstrand played a fiery duo. After going down 4-0, the two managed to fight their back into the match. However, they ended up losing 8-4. At #3 doubles, Mia Thomann and Ahn Lin struggled to find their footing, narrowly losing several games but falling 8-3. The #2 doubles team, Annabelle Siegel and Jane Ladaga, faced a tight match that ended in a 8-7 (6) loss in a closely contested tiebreaker.
In singles, the Ephs faced many ups and downs. Jane Ladaga at #5 and Yuu Ishikawa at #2 singles faced tough losses. However, at #3 singles, Annabelle Siegel delivered an impressive performance, using her signature forehand to finish off many long points to win 6-1, 7-6. Mia Thomann was edged out at #4 singles, 6-3, 6-4.
The highlight of the day came from the seniors, Ananya Aggarwal and Erica Ekstrand, who showcased exceptional skill on senior day. At #6 singles, not only did Aggarwal track down every ball, but she also utilized her angles to move her opponent all around the court. After dominating the first set 6-2, she lost a close second set 6-4. Aggarwal did not let this affect her and she managed to play a flawless tiebreaker to win 10-3. Although Ekstrand was down 6-3, 3-0 at #1 singles, she kept belief in herself and turned the match around. After pulling out the second set 7-5, there was no stopping Ekstrand as she went on to win the tiebreaker 10-4.
Eph head Coach Anik Cepeda commented, "Going down 3-0 in doubles against a team like Amherst is really tough. I think the moment, the nerves got to us at the start — it was a little flat out there from both teams. We let too many balls sail past us at net, shifted defensively vs. offensively, took the first strike but weren't ready for them to scrap the balls back. Shout out to the seniors for pulling out wins on their senior day. We'll take a hard look at doubles and see what tweaks need to be made before Hamilton." The Ephs will take on Hamilton tomorrow at 11 AM at Hunt Tennis Center.
