Waterville, ME – After a hard-fought California road trip, the Ephs wasted no time jumping into NESCAC play, heading straight to Maine for a chilly outdoor match against Colby. Trading palm trees and 70-degree weather for clouds and wind, Williams responded with poise and maturity, claiming the doubles point and riding that momentum to a convincing 6–1 win. The win was even sweeter since it was assistant coach
Andrew Dorr's birthday, so the team wanted to show up and show out with their best effort. The team showed impressive adaptability, shaking off the travel and cold to turn in one of their strongest performances of the season.
Doubles play got off to a tense start. On Court 1,
Nicholas Chen and
Shawn Berdia faced early pressure, going down a double break. But the veteran duo stayed calm, clawing back three straight games with sharp returns and smart poaching at the net. At 4–5, the set came down to a deuce point, and after a furious exchange of volleys, the Colby team managed to hold, taking the set 6–4.
Meanwhile,
Simon Volkema and
Leon Liu, a new pairing on Court 2, took some time to find their rhythm. Down 3–1 early, they adjusted quickly, beginning to complement each other well at the net and from the baseline. They rattled off five straight games, flipping the momentum to win 6–3. That left it to first-years
Diego Marin and
Jack Ling on Court 3, who stayed composed in a back-and-forth set. With the score tied 4–4, Marin and Ling broke with a clutch deuce-point winner. The pair then held to clinch the set 6–4 and secure the doubles point for Williams.
In singles, the Ephs came out firing, winning all six opening sets.
At No. 1,
Nicholas Chen faced off against Colby's top player, Cohen, in a high-quality battle of shot-making and court coverage. The first set saw both players exchanging heavy topspin and trading breaks, but Chen remained steady in the big moments. He secured a crucial late break and served out the set 7–5. Riding that momentum, Chen elevated his level in the second, using sharp angles and depth to draw errors and keep his opponent on the move. He closed out the match 7–5, 6–2, putting the Ephs up 2–0.
On Court 3,
Simon Volkema continued to build on his stellar junior season. Using his powerful serve and forehand, he dictated from the baseline and refused to let his opponent settle into rallies. He raced through the first set 6–2 and managed key points well in the second, holding off a late push to win 6–2, 6–4.
Leon Liu turned in one of the most clinical efforts of the afternoon on Court 4. He dominated with consistent depth, mixing in slices and occasional net approaches to keep Ziets-Segura off balance. Liu cruised through the first set 6–1 and didn't let up in the second, closing out a commanding 6–1, 6–2 win to stretch the team lead.
Jack Ling, on Court 5, delivered a composed and clean performance. He used patient rallying and timely aggression to frustrate his opponent, earning a 6–3, 6–3 victory without ever letting the match slip out of his control.
Diego Marin, who has grown increasingly confident in recent matches, put on a show at No. 6. He came out focused and aggressive, breaking serve early and never looking back. Marin overwhelmed his opponent with a blend of heavy topspin and pinpoint accuracy, posting a dominant 6–0, 6–1 result that sealed the team win.
The lone loss of the day came on Court 2, where
Shawn Berdia found himself in a seesaw battle with Colby's Daly. Berdia took the first set 6–4 with steady play and sharp serving, but Daly turned the tables in the second with more aggressive returns and deeper ground strokes. The match went to a super tiebreak, where both players traded mini-breaks in a tense finish. Ultimately, Daly edged Berdia 10–8, earning Colby their only point of the day.
With five singles wins and two doubles victories, the 6–1 team result was a statement start to NESCAC play. The Ephs showed not only depth and composure, but a growing belief in their ability to grind out wins in any environment.
Eph head coach
Dan Greenberg was pleased with the team's performance: "Tough conditions today, so it was hard to generate a lot of offense, but our guys were solid at every spot. We did a better job of not giving away easy games and can hopefully build upon that tomorrow."
The Ephs improve to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the NESCAC. They'll return to the court tomorrow for another key conference matchup, this time taking on Bowdoin in Brunswick, Maine
Doubles:
- Cohen/Daly (COLBY) def. Chen/Berdia (WIL) 6-4
- Volkema/Liu (WIL) def. Kwong/Ziets-Segura (COLBY) 6-3
- Marin/Ling (WIL) def. Kaplan/Sosa (COLBY) 6-4
Singles:
- Chen (WIL) def. Cohen (COLBY) 7-5, 6-2
- Daly (COLBY) def. Berdia (WIL) 4-6, 6-2, 10-8
- Volkema (WIL) def. Sosa (COLBY) 6-2, 6-4
- Liu (WIL) def. Ziets-Segura (COLBY) 6-1, 6-2
- Ling (WIL) def. Kwong (COLBY) 6-3, 6-3
- Marin (WIL) def. Kaplan (COLBY) 6-0, 6-1
