CLINTON, N.Y. -- The No. 19 nationally ranked Bates women's squash team defeated No. 26 Bowdoin 9-0 in the first round of the NESCAC Championships Friday night at Hamilton College.
Bates (8-6) entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Bobcats advance to play No. 15 nationally ranked and third seeded Middlebury in the quarterfinals Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The 11th seeded Polar Bears (5-10) will play Connecticut College in the consolation bracket.
The Bobcats swept eight of their nine matches against the Polar Bears on Friday. Bates' most impressive performance came at the No. 9 position, with junior Katie Bull (Sudbury, Mass.) winning 3-0 (11-1, 11-2, 11-0) over Rose Warren. The Bobcats' depth shined through with senior Hannah Conner (Groton, Mass.) winning 3-0 (11-7, 11-1, 11-4) at the No. 8 position and junior Molly Brooks (Charlottesville, Va.) defeating Callie Burkhart 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-5) at the No. 7 position.
At the top of the ladder, sophomore Luca Polgar (Budapest, Hungary) won 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-6) over Lindsey Bindra at the No. 1 position and junior captain Vicky Arjoon (Georgetown, Guyana) prevailed 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-9) at the No. 2 position over Tully Ross.
Junior Kristyna Alexova (Boskovice, Czech Republic) rallied from a game down to beat Lex Horwitz 3-1 (10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5) at the No. 3 position and sophomore captain Eliza Dunham (New Haven, Conn.) won 3-0 (15-13, 11-8, 11-6) at the No. 4 position over Diya Chopra.
Bates' outstanding pair of first-years Maeve O'Brien (Essex, Conn.) and Katie Manternach (Brooklyn, N.Y.) swept their opponents at the No. 5 and 6 positions respectively. O'Brien defeated Zoe Wood 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-6) and Manternach won 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-3) at the No. 6 position over Natasha Belsky.
The win marks Bates' fourth straight over Bowdoin. The Bobcats have won six of their last seven matches on the season after a 2-5 start.
No. 19 Bates 9, No. 26 Bowdoin 0
Feb. 2, 2018 at Clinton, N.Y.
1. Luca Polgar (BAT) def. Lindsey Bindra (BOW) 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
2. Vicky Arjoon (BAT) def. Tully Ross (BOW) 11-6, 11-7, 11-9
3. Kristyna Alexova (BAT) def. Lex Horwitz (BOW) 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5
4. Eliza Dunham (BAT) def. Diya Chopra (BOW) 15-13, 11-8, 11-6
5. Maeve O'Brien (BAT) def. Zoe Wood (BOW) 11-3, 11-2, 11-6
6. Katie Manternach (BAT) def. Natasha Belsky (BOW) 11-7, 11-4, 11-3
7. Molly Brooks (BAT) def. Callie Burkhart (BOW) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5
8. Hannah Conner (BAT) def. Hannah Cooke (BOW) 11-7, 11-1, 11-4
9. Katie Bull (BAT) def. Rose Warren (BOW) 11-1, 11-2, 11-0
