Senior Abby Mantica earned an impressive 3-0 win in the third slot

Amherst Gets Back on Track with 8-1 Win Over Smith

December 11, 2006

AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College women’s squash team snapped a three-game losing skid by defeating Smith College 8-1 Monday night. Amherst heads into its winter break with a record of 2-3, and does not return to action until January 13th.

Senior co-captains Caroline Shannon (Hanover, NH) and Emily O’Brien (New Canaan, CT) set the pace for Amherst, winning their respective matches in dominating fashion. O’Brien found herself trailing in the second game, 4-1, but battled back to score eight unanswered points and win 9-4 on her way to a 3-0 match victory.

The final match-up of the night featured senior Abby Mantica (Sewickley, PA), who battled in three hard-fought games with Smith’s junior captain Kate Whitesell (Easton, MD) in the third slot. Mantica watched her 8-4 lead in the first game slip away, allowing Whitesell to come from behind to take a 9-8 lead, but kept her head in the game to storm right back and take the first game, 10-9.

Although she won the second and third games more convincingly, Mantica was forced to work extremely hard to earn every point against Whitesell, including an impressive match-winning shot from a back corner that took her opponent and spectators by surprise.

Monday, December 11, 2006 – Amherst College vs. Smith College – Amherst, MA

1) Caroline Shannon (A) def. Beatrice Bircher (9-0; 9-1; 9-3)
2) Emily O’Brien (A) def. Shanita Williams (9-3; 9-4; 9-3)
3) Abby Mantica (A) def. Katherine Whitesell (10-9; 9-3; 9-4)
4) Talia Williams (S) def. Sarah Harper (6-9; 9-5; 9-1; 9-5)
5) Di Kirkwood (A) def. Jacinth Cooke (9-1; 9-4; 9-1)
6) Melissa Moulton (A) def. Mary Opler (9-0; 9-3; 9-4)
7) Emery Sweeney (A) def. Anna Reznickova (9-2; 9-2; 8-10; 9-2)
8) Hannah Merves (A) def. Mercedes Pepper (9-4; 9-4; 9-0)
9) Laurel Lamontangne (A) def. Katrina Duggan (9-0; 9-0; 9-0)