AMHERST, MA — The #10 Amherst College women's squash team opened the Little Three championship in style on Wednesday night, earning a 7–2 win over #16 Williams College at Davenport Squash Courts. The Mammoths extended their winning streak to six matches and improved their overall record to 11–1, remaining perfect in conference play at 7–0. Amherst was particularly dominant in the bottom half of the ladder and at the #1 spot, where they did not drop a single set on courts #1 and matches #5 through #9.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
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First-year Kenzy Elkaliuoby delivered one of the matches of the night at the #3 spot, besting Williams' Rachel Miller in a close five-set battle, 3–2 (12–10, 9–11, 11–9, 9–11, 11–8). The match lasted 1 hour and 1 minute.
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Three Mammoths shared the honors for the quickest wins of the day, each finishing in just 24 minutes. Quincy Cline controlled play at #1 to defeat Rhea Pandit 3–0 (11–9, 11–3, 11–6), while Kristen Daniel at #5 and Katherine Grissom at #8 posted dominant straight-set victories as well. Daniel prevailed against Roshni Pal 3–0 (11–8, 11–9, 11–7) and Grissom bested Mahika Gupta 3–0 (11–5, 11–6, 11–6).
RESULTS (7–2, W):
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Quincy Cline (A) def. Rhea Pandit (W), 3–0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-6)
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Melanie W. Wang (W) def. Anastasiia Krykun (A), 3–2 (9–11, 11–6, 3–11, 11–7, 11–9)
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Kanzy Elkaliuoby (A) def. Rachel Miller (W), 3–2 (12–10, 9–11, 11–9, 9–11, 11–8)
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Frances Brooks (W) def. Alexandra Brown (A), 3–1 (12–10, 5–11, 11–9, RE)
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Kristen Daniel (A) def. Roshni Pal (W), 3–0 (11–8, 11–9, 11–7)
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Yana Sharma (A) def. Anika Kakarla (W), 3–0 (11–7, 11–5, 11–9)
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Fionnoula Brandon (A) def. Alicia Chen (W), 3–0 (13–11, 11–6, 11–7)
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Katherine Grissom (A) def. Mahika Gupta (W), 3–0 (11–5, 11–6, 11–6)
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Brigid Brandon (A) def. Naomi Jefferson-Sambanis (W), 3–0 (11–7, 12–10, 11–9)
UP NEXT: The Mammoths' season record now stands at 11–1 (7–0 in NESCAC matches), with a six-match win streak heading into the second leg of the Little Three. Amherst will travel to Middletown to face Wesleyan University on Saturday, January 31 at 11:00 AM, looking to carry their strong form, and take home the Little 3 championship.
