Amherst Teams Trade Shutouts with Bowdoin

December 9 , 2006

AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College women’s squash team was shutout by visiting Bowdoin for its third consecutive loss, while the Amherst men blanked the Polar Bears to improve to 3-2 on the season. The women return to action Monday for a home match-up with Smith College, but the men are on break until play resumes January 13th.

Although the women were shut out, senior co-captain Caroline Shannon (Hanover, NH) put in an amazing effort and nearly pulled off the comeback victory. After dropping the first two games to Bowdoin’s junior tri-captain Emilie McKenna (Fairfield, CT), Shannon came back to win the third game in convincing fashion, 9-3, and edged out McKenna in the fourth frame, 10-9. Shannon took a commanding 4-0 lead in the fifth and final game, looking as though she would pull off the comeback, but McKenna stormed back and notched up with Shannon at 7-7. The Amherst faithful were there to cheer Shannon on, but she ran out of steam and lost the final game, 9-7, coming up just short of an impressive comeback.

On the men’s side, competition was much tighter than the 9-0 score indicates. Of the nine match-ups, two went to a fifth game and four went to a fourth, while the ones decided in three games were far from blowouts. The Lord Jeffs managed to outplay the Polar Bears, however, earning a well-deserved win.

Sophomore Ben Bishop (Seattle, WA) and junior Andrew Slutsky (Providence, RI) had nearly identical afternoons. Both men won their first game, 9-6, dropped their next two games convincingly, tied up the match with a convincing win in the fourth game, and needed 10 points to win the fifth and final game in impressive come-from-behind fashion.
 
Saturday, December 9, 2006 – Amherst College vs. Bowdoin College – Amherst, MA

MEN'S
1) Drew Blacker (A) def. Matt Dresher (9-3; 9-2; 7-9; 9-5)
2) Auloke Mathur (A) def. Chris Nehrbas (9-6; 9-7; 9-4)
3) Stu Landesberg (A) def. Zach Linhart (9-2; 10-8; 9-0)
4) Peter Hatfield (A) def. David Funk (9-2; 9-6; 9-5)
5) Ben Bishop (A) def. Arun Makhija (9-6; 4-9; 4-9; 9-2; 10-8)
6) Andrew Kriete (A) def. Palmer Higgins (7-9; 9-5; 9-4; 9-2)
7) Andrew Slutsky (A) def. Jacob Sack (9-6; 2-9; 2-9; 9-4; 10-9)
8) Goutam Kalani (A) def. Peter Cipriano (9-4; 10-8; 9-5)
9) Jerome Giovinazzo (A) def. Robert Lynn (10-8; 1-9; 9-6; 9-2)

WOMEN'S
1) Emilie McKenna (B) def. Caroline Shannon (9-3; 9-6; 3-9; 9-10; 9-7)
2) Katherine Gormley (B) def. Emily O’Brien (9-4; 10-9; 9-1)
3) Alexandra Franceschi (B) def. Abby Mantica (9-3; 9-4; 9-0)
4) Jacqueline Deysher (B) def. Sarah Harper (9-3; 9-1; 9-6)
5) Dodie Press (B) def. Di Kirkwood (9-2; 9-0; 9-5)
6) Lydia Pillsbury (B) def. Melissa Moulton (9-3; 9-0; 9-4)
7) Madeleine McQueeney (B) def. Heather Nowak (9-0; 9-0; 9-0)
8) Elizabeth Gillespie (B) def. Hannah Merves (9-0; 9-0; 9-1)
9) Sarah Podmaniczky (B) def. Laurel Lamontangne (9-0; 9-2; 9-1)