Bennington, VT – It was a fitting end to the regular season. On Senior Day at the Bennington Tennis Center, the Ephs delivered when it mattered most, taking down Wesleyan 5–2 in front of a packed crowd of families, teammates, and alumni. Led by seniors
Andrew Chong and
Shawn Berdia, Williams played some of its most complete tennis of the year, sending the seniors out in style and locking up key momentum heading into the postseason.
The afternoon started fast in doubles. On Court 3,
Jack Ling and
Diego Marin wasted no time, jumping on their opponents early and racing to a 6–2 win. On Court 2,
Andrew Chong and
Simon Volkema kept the pressure on, staying aggressive on big points and pulling out a 6–3 victory to clinch the doubles point for Williams. Over on Court 1, Berdia and
Nicholas Chen fought hard against Wesleyan's top team but fell just short, 7–5.
With the early lead, the Ephs took the momentum into singles — and never looked back.
Simon Volkema was first off on Court 3, making quick work of his match with a clean 6–1, 6–3 win to push Williams ahead 2–0. Minutes later, Chen took care of business on Court 1, using heavy hitting and smart court positioning to roll 6–2, 6–2, stretching the Ephs' lead to 3–0.
Wesleyan got on the board next with a win at Court 2, where Berdia battled through a tight three-setter but came up just short, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
All eyes then turned to Court 6, where senior
Andrew Chong had the chance to seal it. Playing with precision and urgency, Chong put together one of the cleanest matches of his career, cruising to a 6–0, 6–1 win to clinch the match for the Ephs. As he shook hands and looked over to see his teammates charging toward him, it was clear: Senior Day couldn't have ended any better.
The last match on was Court 4, where
Jack Ling kept battling after the team result was decided. Staying steady and composed, he finished off a 6–2, 6–3 win to close out the afternoon on a high note.
It was a full team effort, the kind of day that captured the spirit of the program and the leadership of its seniors.
Eph head coach
Dan Greenberg reflected on the match, saying: "We did a great job setting the tone in doubles and keeping our foot on the gas in singles. It was especially awesome to see Chong clinch another huge match on Senior Day. He and Berdia have been incredible leaders for this young team."
With the win, Williams finishes the regular season at 9–6 overall and 7–3 in NESCAC play. The Ephs will be back in action on Friday, May 2 for the NESCAC Tournament, with their final matchup to be announced tomorrow.
Doubles:
- Collomb/Litton (WES) def. Chen/Berdia (WIL) 7-5
- Volkema/Chong (WIL) def. Keeling/Kasday (WES) 6-3
- Ling/Marin (WIL) def. Lustgarten/Frankel (WES) 6-2
Singles:
- Chen (WIL) def. Collomb (WES) 6-2, 6-2
- Lustgarten (WES) def. Berdia (WIL) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
- Volkema (WIL) def. Litton (WES) 6-1, 6-3
- Ling (WIL) def. Keeling (WES) 6-2, 6-3
- Kasday (WES) def. Marin (WIL) 6-4, 6-1
- Chong (WIL) def. Macdonald (WES) 6-0, 6-1
