PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - Junior Melanie Wang won the final two games of an epic five-game match to give the Ephs the crucial fifth win as the #16 Williams College women's squash team beat #13 Middlebury College 6-3 in the Kurtz Cup of the College Squash Association's Divisional Team Championships on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
The Ephs were up 4-1 after wins from Roshni Pal at #5, Sophia Koehler at #6, Anika Kakarla at #7, and Alicia Chen at #8, when Wang came from 2-1 down to win the fourth game 11-7 and the fifth 11-8 to clinch the match in favor of Williams. The victory over Middlebury was the first in three tries this season for the Ephs, who improved in each meeting, having lost to the Panthers 7-2 on January 24 and 5-4 on February 14.
With the win, the Ephs will play in the Kurtz Cup final at 9:00 am on Sunday morning against #15 Columbia University, with the winner taking home the Cup and a #13 national ranking as the top team in the bracket.
The first three players on court on Saturday afternoon were #1 Rhea Pandit, #6 Koehler, and #7 Kakarla. Pandit ran into a tough player at the top spot, but was able to take a game in the loss (9-11, 3-11, 11-9, 8-11). However, Koehler and Kakarla both won in three games, Koehler by game scores of 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 and Kakarla 11-6, 11-6, 13-11. The matches were tight and hard-fought but the wins allowed the Ephs to establish a 2-1 lead after the first round.
The next players on court were Pal at #5 and Chen at #8, with Chen winning a quick match 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-3) and Pal taking control in the third game to win 3-1 (11-3, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7). Wang's match started slightly after both Pal's and Chen's, and outlasted both, looking like it could go either way at times. The junior held her nerve and won 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8) to give the Ephs a lead that could not be caught.
The last three players on court were Frances Brooks at #3, Rachel Miller at #4, and Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis at #9, though the result was beyond doubt when they stepped on court. Jefferson-Sambanis earned an excellent 3-1 win, coming back to win three straight after dropping the first game (8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 13-11). Brooks and Miller both lost 3-0 in close games, and the final score was 6-3.
The Ephs will face Columbia, 6-3 winners over #14 Georgetown University on Saturday afternoon, at 9:00 am on Sunday for the Kurtz Cup.
