MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The No. 16 nationally ranked Bates women's squash team lost a 5-4 thriller to number 15 Middlebury Saturday afternoon at the Middlebury Squash Center.
The Bobcats (6-2) and Panthers (2-2) split the first two matches of the day.
Sophomore Molly Brooks (Charlottesville, Va.) suffered her first loss of the season, dropping her match at the No. 9 position 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8) to Natasha Lowitt.
Senior co-captain Charlotte Cabot (Dover, Mass.) evened things up by knocking off Audrey Ellen 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-7) at the No. 6 position.
The Bobcats lost at the No. 3 and 8 positions to fall into a 3-1 hole. But they rallied in impressive fashion thanks to a pair of first-years.Â
First-year Eliza Dunham (New Haven, Conn.) took down Mira Chugh 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-6) at the No. 5 position and first-year Luca Polgar (Budapest, Hungary) turned in a dominating performance, defeating Middlebury's Anne Glassie 3-0 (11-0, 11-1, 11-3) at the No. 2 position.
With the match tied at three, Bates fell at the No. 4 position.
This meant that the Bobcats had to sweep at the No. 7 and No. 1 positions to win the match.
Sophomore Katie Bull (Sudbury, Mass.) took a 2-1 lead in her match over the Panthers' Caroline Jahrling at the No. 7 position. But Jahrling rallied to win the final two games, edging Bull 3-2 (8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), and clinching the match for Middlebury. Â
Sophomore Kristyna Alexova (Boskovice, Czech Republic) prevailed in her match at the No. 1 position in five games, taking down Beatrijs Kuijpers 3-2 (11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8).
The Bobcats look to bounce back Sunday when they visit No. 11 nationally ranked Williams. The match gets started at noon.Â
No. 15 Middlebury 5, No. 16 Bates 4
Jan. 7, 2017 at Middlebury, Vt.
1. Kristyna Alexova (B) def. Beatrijs Kuijpers (M) 11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8
2. Luca Polgar (B) def. Anne Glassie (M) 11-0, 11-1, 11-3
3. Alexa Comai (M) def. Vicky Arjoon (B) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9
4. Liddy Renner (M) def. Emma Dunn (B) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
5. Eliza Dunham (B) def. Mira Chugh (M) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6
6. Charlotte Cabot (B) def. Audrey Ellen (M) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7
7. Caroline Jahrling (M) def. Katie Bull (B) 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7Â
8. Lucy Bostwick (M) def. Blair Weintraub (B) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9
9. Natasha Lowitt (M) def. Molly Brooks (B) 11-4, 11-5, 11-8
