Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - February 15, 2020 - The Mount Holyoke College squash team started a weekend which will consist of four total matches in two days with a pair of victories over Wellesley College and Vassar College at Kenyon Hall on Saturday. The Lyons defeated the Blue, 8-1, before edging Vassar 5-4 in the afternoon match.
With the wins, Mount Holyoke College is now 4-12 on the year, as the Lyons will now prepare for a trip to No. 23 Dickinson College on Sunday, February 16 for a 9:30 a.m. match before heading to No. 18 Franklin & Marshall for a 1:30 p.m. contest to wrap up the weekend.
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Mount Holyoke College 8, Wellesley 1 -- Match One
Mount Holyoke College defeated Wellesley, 8-1, to begin the day on Saturday, as the Lyons received strong play all throughout the lineup, including Kuzivakwashe Madungwe (Harare, Zimbabwe), who competed for the first time since January 10.
Starting at the top, Mihiliya Methsarani (Panadura, Sri Lanka) picked up an 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 win, before Jennifer Mbah (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) prevailed at No. 2, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 14-12. Madungwe fell at No. 3, but the Lyons responded with a win from Giselle Cabrera (Bronx, N.Y.) at No. 4, 11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6.
At No. 5, Genesis Lara Granados (Bronx, N.Y.) claimed a 11-4, 11-3, 11-0 win, before Emma Robson (Amherst, Mass.) won at No. 6, 11-2, 11-5, 11-1. Nicole Lara Granados (Bronx, N.Y.) won at No. 7, 11-1, 11-8, 11-6, before Janiqua Davis (New Haven, Conn.) made quick work at No. 8, winning 11-3, 11-5, 11-3. Wrapping up at No. 9, Jane Xu (Hangzhou, China) won 11-7, 11-6, 15-13, before Elba Barra Montgomery (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) won her exhibition match, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.
Mount Holyoke College 5, Vassar 4 -- Match Two
Mount Holyoke College battled to a 5-4 victory over Vassar College to finish off their play on Saturday, as Robson sealed the victory with a win at No. 6 to give the Lyons a decisive fifth point for victory.
Methsarani's three-set win at No. 1 gave the Lyons a 4-3 lead, before Robson knocked off Amanda Watson at No. 6 by the set scores of 11-13, 14-16, 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 to push the Lyons to victory. Genesis Lara Granados and Madungwe won the first two matches for Mount Holyoke College to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead, before Mbah erased an early 2-0 deficit to come back and win in five games, picking up victories of 11-6, 11-4 and 11-4 in the last three games.
At No. 4, Cabrera fell 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 and Nicole Lara Granados dropped a five-game decision to Isabel Bronson at No. 7. Both Davis and Xu also suffered setbacks at No. 8 and No. 9, while Barra Montgomery also lost the exhibition match.
