Ephs Win Six Matches and Advance Two Groups to Quarterfinals at NEWITT

AMHERST, Mass. — Sophomores Ayanna Varma and Katelyn Wu emerged victorious in singles and doubles action Friday during Day 1 action at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) on the campus of Amherst College.

"We played a lot of gritty points today in some windy conditions," said 10th-year head coach Anik Cepeda. "The team is learning a lot with every match. We are looking forward to Day 2."

The Ephs won a total of six matches and advanced two groups to the quarterfinal round Saturday. The pair of Varma ane first-year Katherine Kendall, along with the trio of senior captain Margaux Molyneux and sophomores Zoe Yao and Katelyn Wu advanced to the quarterfinals.

During the first round of the A Draw Friday, Varma defeated sophomore Anwitha Duduka of Amherst, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), while Varma teamed up in doubles with Kendall for a 6-1 triumph over Duduka and first-year Gabrielle Shiao of Amherst. Varma will square off against sophomore Sophia Yang of MIT and Kendall will compete against first-year Claire Zhou of MIT Saturday in quarterfinal-round singles action, while Varma and Kendall will compete in doubles action against Yang and Zhou. Williams will need to emerge victorious in a minimum of 2-of-3 matches to advance to the semifinals.

In the B Draw first round, Molyneux earned a comeback victory, defeating first-year Avery Morris of Trinity, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 10-5. Wu earned a hard-fought win against first-year Ava Terefe (Trinity), 6-0, 5-7, 10-7, while Yao and Wu posted a tightly contested 7-6 (7-3) triumph in doubles action against Terefe and Morris. Wu and Molyneux will compete against first-year Lauren Oliver of Middlebury and Cayna Ghaly of Amherst, respectively, in quarterfinal-round singles action Saturday. Yao and Wu will team up against Oliver and Ghaly in doubles, with the Ephs needing to come up on top in 2-of-3 matches to earn a spot in the semifinals.

Also on Friday, senior captain Julia Zhang posted a straight-set victory, 6-3, 6-2, over junior Chloe Zeng of MIT.

On Saturday, Varma, Kendall, Molyneux, Yao and Wu will compete at Amherst College, while Zhang and senior captain Ahn Lin will take the court at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.