Middlebury, VT — The #19 ranked Ephs returned to NESCAC play this afternoon against the #6 ranked Middlebury Panthers. The match was pushed up by a day in order for it to be played outdoors. While the Ephs fought hard across the board, they ultimately were defeated 1-6.
The Ephs were slow to start in doubles, struggling to adjust to the pace and aggression of the Panthers. In #2 doubles, Mia Roets and Margaux Molyneux played some very long points, but fell 6-1. Ahn Lin and Mia Thomann also fell by a score of 6-1 at #3 doubles. At #1, Jane Ladaga and Yuu Ishikawa had many opportunities throughout the match, but their opponents were able to come up with some good shots at crucial moments. Unfortunately, they lost 6-1.
In singles play, the Ephs came out prepared to battle. Roets faced a very solid opponent at #4. Despite some good serves, she fell. At #2, Molyneux put up a tough fight against an opponent who has found a lot of success this season. After many hard hitting rallies, Molynuex lost narrowly with a score 6-3, 6-4. First year Ellie Stark, at #6 singles, put up a solid fight against a seasoned opponent, but ultimately lost. Here, the match was decided in favor of the Panthers.
Jane Ladaga pushed many games to deuce in her match at #5, but fell 6-3, 6-2. At #1, Yuu Ishikawa battled hard. After losing the first set, she came out firing, neutralizing her opponents aggression. Despite a lot of back and forth, Ishikawa lost 6-3, 6-3. Thomann, at #3, put a point on the board for the Ephs. Facing a very aggressive opponent, she managed to hold her ground and won 6-3, 3-6, 12-10.
Eph head coach Anik Cepeda commented, "Middlebury was tough. They put a lot of balls in the court and didn't give us many gifts. We will look to bounce back and keep building against Hamilton."
The Ephs will travel to Clinton, NY to play the Hamilton Continentals on Sunday. The match was rescheduled due to conflicts on March 9th, the original date.
