PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - The Williams College women's squash team took care of business in the opening match of the College Squash Association's Divisional Team Championships on Friday morning, beating Bowdoin College 9-0 and setting up a huge match on Saturday afternoon.
The Divisional Team Championships places the Ephs in the Kurtz Cup, with teams ranked #13 through #20 squaring off in a bracketed tournament. Williams, ranked #16 nationally, flew past #17 Bowdoin and will likely take on #13 Middlebury on Saturday.
Despite being next to each other in the national rankings, the Ephs took control early in the match and cruised, dropping only two games throughout the nine spots on the ladder, and having each match completed in 30 minutes or less. The win also bettered the team's 8-1 win over Bowdoin on January 18.
The first players on court were #2 Melanie Wang, #5 Roshni Pal, and #8 Alicia Chen, and the Ephs won all three matches 3-0, with Pal's 24-minute 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 win serving as the closest of the bunch. Chen gave up just nine points across three games (11-6 11-2, 11-1) and Wang was nearly as dominant (11-6, 11-3, 11-3).
Next on court was #9 Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis, who quickly earned another 3-0 victory (11-2, 11-5, 11-8), and then the day's closest matches. #3 Frances Brooks and #4 Rachel Miller both faced opponents who came out strong to win the first game, but the Ephs were able to recover and win the next three straight. Miller won 3-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4, and Brooks' game scores were 7-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8.Â
With the match decided, the remaining contests went quickly, all 3-0 wins in favor of Williams. #7 Anika Kakarla cruised 11-6, 11-2, 11-5, and #6 Sophia Koehler won 11-4, 11-9, 11-5. #1 Rhea Pandit finished with a comfortable victory, winning all three games by an 11-5 score.
If Saturday's match is against #13 Middlebury, who is expected to beat #20 Denison University, the Ephs will have an opportunity to get the upper hand against a conference rival in a high-stakes contest. Williams dropped a 7-2 result to the Panthers on January 24 in Vermont, and were almost able to beat Middlebury at the NESCAC Championships on February 14 at Hamilton, losing 5-4. Saturday's match will start at 3:00 p.m. with live streaming and score updates available.
