MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- The No. 19 nationally ranked Bates women's squash team swept seven matches on its way to a 9-0 win over No. 22 Hamilton in the Walker Cup quarterfinals Friday at Wesleyan University.
The Bobcats (11-8) will take on No. 18 Dickinson Saturday evening in the semifinals, with the match getting underway at 6:30pm on the campus of Trinity College.
On Friday, Bates dominated Hamilton (10-8) up-and-down the lineup. First team All-NESCAC selections junior Luca Polgar (Budapest, Hungary) and senior captain Kristyna Alexova (Boskovice, Czech Republic) took care of business at the No. 1 and 2 positions respectively. Polgar defeated the Continentals' Charlotte Zonis 3-1 (11-2, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6) and Alexova swept Megan Grip 3-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-4), edging Grip in the first two games before taking command in the third. Polgar improves her record to 16-2 while Alexova is 14-5 so far this season.
Four-time second team All-NESCAC selection senior captain Vicky Arjoon (Georgetown, Guyana) turned in the most dominating performance of the day, sweeping aside Caitlin Stern 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-2) at the No. 3 position.
The Bobcats' sensational sophomores Maeve O'Brien (Essex, Conn.) and Katie Manternach (Brooklyn, N.Y.) won at the No. 4 and 5 positions, with O'Brien winning her 20th consecutive match going to last year. O'Brien swept Sydney Soloway 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-5) at No. 4 and Manternach rolled to a 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-1) win over Liesl Guenther at No. 5.
Bates was just was strong at the bottom of the ladder, as a pair of first-years and a pair of seniors won on Friday. First-year Natasha Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) defeated Hamilton's Lindsay Jadow 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9) at the No. 6 position and first-year Natalie Bachman (New Canaan, Conn.) earned a hard-fought 3-1 (11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7) win over Maddie Sakheim at No. 8.
Seniors Molly Brooks (Charlottesville, Va.) and Katie Bull (Sudbury, Mass.) were just as impressive, with Brooks winning 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-5) over Eleanor Struthers at No. 7 and Bull taking down Jean Beecher 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-2) at No. 9.
Bates looks to avenge a 5-4 season-opening loss to Dickinson Saturday when they take on the Red Devils in the Walker Cup semifinals.
No. 19 Bates 9, No. 22 Hamilton 0 (Walker Cup quarterfinals)
Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 at Wesleyan University
1. Luca Polgar (BAT) def. Charlotte Zonis (HAM) 11-2, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6
2. Kristyna Alexova (BAT) def. Megan Grip (HAM) 12-10, 12-10, 11-4
3. Vicky Arjoon (BAT) def. Caitlin Stern (HAM) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2
4. Maeve O'Brien (BAT) def. Sydney Soloway (HAM) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5
5. Katie Manternach (BAT) def. Liesl Guenther (HAM) 11-2, 11-4, 11-1
6. Natasha Jones (BAT) def. Lindsay Jadow (HAM) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9
7. Molly Brooks (BAT) def. Eleanor Struthers (HAM) 11-3, 11-9, 11-5
8. Natalie Bachman (BAT) def. Maddie Sakheim (HAM) 11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7
9. Katie Bull (BAT) def. Jean Beecher (HAM) 11-7, 11-4, 11-2
