MIDDLETOWN, CT – Today the Ephs had an early morning driving down to Middletown, CT to compete against Wesleyan in the last match of the regular season. The Ephs felt confident heading in, and delivered a clean 9-0 result.
In the first round of matches,
Rhea Pandit,
Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis, and
Nora Brant took the court. All three players delivered smart, consistent squash to win their matches in straight games and post three points to the board.
Next on were
Sophia Koehler,
Theresa Kay, and
Roshni Pal. Kay and Pal played straightforward squash, downing their cardinal opponents in three games each. Koehler dropped the first game in a lapse of focus, but came back strong to capture the next three and win the match.
Lastly,
Melanie Wang,
Rachel Miller, and
Anika Kakarla took to the courts. Miller and Wang had strong showings, with Miller winning her match in three and Wang closing out her match in four after dropping the third game. Meanwhile, Kakarla was neck-and-neck with her opponent. Heading into the fifth game tied, Kakarla shifted her game plan and remained focused to gain a 10-0 lead, capturing the game 11-2 and having a strong finish to the match, and rounding out the Eph's 9-0 win over Wesleyan.
Special shout-out to junior
Giselle Ciriaco who played her first match of the season in the #10 spot after battling an injury this year.
After the match Eph head coach
Hesham Aly commented, "Proud of the team for showing up today. We had a dominant showing over Wesleyan and I'm proud of how everyone played".
For the final weekend of the season, the Ephs will head to Philadelphia, PA to compete in collegiate nationals. The Ephs will face off against Wesleyan for a second time in the first round of the bracket.
