HARTFORD, Conn. -- The No. 19 nationally ranked Bates women's squash team swept five matches and rolled to a 9-0 win over No. 18 Dickinson in the Walker Cup semifinals Saturday night on the campus of Trinity College.
The Bobcats (12-8) avenged an early-season 5-4 loss to the Red Devils (10-8) with an emphatic win on Saturday.Â
Bates took command early in the match, with senior captain Kristyna Alexova (Boskovice, Czech Republic) rallying from down two games to one to prevail 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7) over Lindsay Kuracina at the No. 2 position. Alexova, a first team All-NESCAC selection, improves her record to 15-5 on the season.
Senior captain and four-time second team All-NESCAC selection Vicky Arjoon (Georgetown, Guyana) swept Domenica Romo 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-7) at the No. 3 position. Arjoon now sports a 13-7 record on the season.Â
Fellow senior Katie Bull (Sudbury, Mass.) also picked up a key early win in five games, defeating Alanis Perez by a score of 3-2 (11-3, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9) at No. 9. Later in the match, senior Molly Brooks (Charlottesville, Va.) rallied from down 2-1 to defeat Abbie Wingerd 3-2 (7-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11) at the No. 7 position.Â
Three-time first team All-NESCAC selection junior Luca Polgar (Budapest, Hungary) won her seventh straight match with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-8) win over Courtney Trail at the No. 1 position. Polgar improves her personal record to 17-2 on the season.Â
The sophomore duo of Maeve O'Brien (Essex, Conn.) and Katie Manternach (Brooklyn, N.Y.) weren't in the lineup the first time Dickinson and Bates played. Their presence made a big difference Saturday, with O'Brien sweeping Eloise Nimoityn 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-7) at the No. 4 position for her 21st consecutive win going back to last year. Manternach won with ease as well, sweeping Nicole DeLuca 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-9) at No. 5.
First-years Natasha Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) and Natalie Bachman (New Canaan, Conn.) took care of business as well on Saturday against the Red Devils. Jones swept Aya Sobhy 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-5) at the No. 6 position and Bachman won in four games by a count of 3-1 (11-6, 1-11, 12-10, 11-7) over Carley Barton at No. 8.
The Bobcats look to win their second straight Walker Cup title when they take on Tufts Sunday at 2:30pm on the campus of Trinity College.   Â
No. 19 Bates 9, No. 18 Dickinson 0 (Walker Cup semifinals)
Feb. 23, 2019 at Trinity College
1. Luca Polgar (B) def. Courtney Trail (D) 11-4, 11-3, 11-8Â
2. Kristyna Alexova (B) def. Lindsay Kuracina (D) 12-10, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7
3. Vicky Arjoon (B) def. Domenica Romo (D) 11-3, 11-4, 11-7Â
4. Maeve O'Brien (B) def. Eloise Nimoityn (D)Â 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
5. Katie Manternach (B) def. Nicole DeLuca (D) 11-5, 11-5, 11-9
6. Natasha Jones (B) def. Aya Sobhy (D) 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 Â
7. Molly Brooks (B) def. Abbie Wingerd (D) 7-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11Â
8. Natalie Bachman (B) def. Carley Barton (D) 11-6, 1-11, 12-10, 11-7
9. Katie Bull (B) def. Alanis Perez (D) 11-3, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9
