BENNINGTON, VT—The #20 Ephs (5-6 overall, 2-4 NESCAC) continued NESCAC play with a strong performance today against the Connecticut College Camels (5-7 overall, 1-4 NESCAC) at the Bennington Tennis Center in Vermont. The Ephs swept doubles comfortably and closed out with strong singles play for a 6-1 win.
Doubles play showcased the Eph's flexibility, as two new doubles pairings debuted. However, first to finish was still the pair of junior
Jane Ladaga and senior
Yuu Ishikawa with their ninth straight W. The Camel pairing had no answer forthe Ephs aggressive net play, superb defense and unshakable focus in a 6-1 win. At number two doubles, freshman
Mia Roets and sophomore
Margaux Molyneux had an impressive debut. Powerful serving and baseline play set up simple volleys for another 6-1 win. At number three, sophomore
Ahn Lin and first year
Ellie Stark also made their debut, with this match being the latter's collegiate doubles debut. They stayed consistent from the back and volleyed well to win 6-1, completing the doubles sweep.
The Ephs then took to the court for singles, with lines 1, 2, and 5 up first. At #5, Ladaga faced an extremely consistent opponent. She used her variation to gain the advantage, mixing drives and slices from the back while approaching the net to add pressure. Several excellent points drew cheers from the crowd, with improbable gets and superb volleys showcasing her skills for a clean 6-2, 6-2 win. Next to finish was Molyneux at #2. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first set, her opponent adjusted well to take the next four games. Now down 4-3, Molyneux recovered admirably and hit her shots to take the next three games and the set. Her second set was tighter, but Molyneux drew ahead at the end for a 6-3 win. At number 1, Ishikawa rebounded excellently from her tight match last weekend. With excellent serves, volleys, and slices, she played smart shots at the right times for a 6-1 first set win. Ishikawa stayed focused when it mattered most, winning key 30-30 and deuce points to take the second set 6-3. With this set, Ishikawa clinched the win for the Ephs at 4-0.
The second round of matches saw singles 3, 4, and 6 take the court. Lin at #4 used huge hitting from the baseline to set up aggressive approaches and easy volleys. Her success with this style play sealed the first set 6-1. Lin kept up the pressure in the second to close it out 6-2, earning a clean win. At #6, Stark showed her consistency, putting quality ball after quality ball in the court and suffocating her opponent. Clean hitting kept her opponent on the move and under pressure for a 6-2, 6-2 win and her first collegiate singles win. Roets, playing at her highest spot in the lineup this season at #3, used her forehand and defense to take the first set 6-1 and start strong. The second set was a much tighter affair, with the opponents trading games. Despite leading almost the entire set, Roets fell 7-5 in the second. With momentum against her, Roets fought but dropped the tiebreak 10-6.
After the match, Eph head coach
Anik Cepeda commented "Today we worked on taking first opportunities—I thought we embraced it in singles. Tomorrow we'll look to step it up in doubles. These matches are the best opportunities to improve. Congrats to Ellie who stepped up today with very little notice!" The Ephs will return tomorrow for an out-of-conference match up on Sunday against #40 Skidmore College.
Results:
Doubles:
Yuu Ishikawa/
Jane Ladaga (WIL) def. Evin Cosar/Maya Kowalska (CONN), 6-1
Margaux Molyneux/
Mia Roets (WIL) def. Mary Ella Prendergast/Caitlin Cass (CONN), 6-1
Ahn Lin/
Ellie Stark (WIL) def. Sana Bhat/Marylove Reynolds (CONN) 6-1
Singles:
Yuu Ishikawa def. Caitlin Cass, 6-1 6-3
Margaux Molyneux def. Evin Cosar, 6-4 6-3
Maya Kowalska def.
Mia Roets, 6-1 5-7 1-0 (6)
Ahn Lin def. Mary Ella Prendergast, 6-1 6-2
Jane Ladaga def. Lily Kerachsky (CONN), 6-1 6-3
Ellie Stark def. Asahi Goods (CONN), 6-2 6-2
