(Carlisle, Pa.) - In front of a fired up crowd of 400 fans, Dickinson women's squash combined for an impressive debut match against Haverford at the beautiful Kline Fitness Center Expansion.
Coach Sachvie's Red Devils battled right to the end, dropping a hard-fought 5-4 decision to the Centennial Conference opponent Fords.
Dickinson won matches in each of the number six through nine flights, and displayed some brilliant shots in three other five-set matches.
In the sixth flight Betsy Vuchinich won a thrilling five-set match over Haverford's Grace Fioramonti-Gorchow (11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 9-11).
In the seven spot, first-year dual-sport student athlete Freddie Bancroft (Old Greenwich, Conn.) bested Avery Weisel with a convincing 3-0 decision (11-4, 11-2, 11-1).
Number eight Meghan Shippe (Baltimore, Md.) got the best of Emilia Cobbs for another 3-0 victoy (11-5, 11-5, 11-8).
In the ninth flight Ashley Doyle (Readfield, Maine) showed strength over Sabina Aliev to complete the six through nine 3-0 sweep (11-2, 11-4, 11-4).
In the number one matchup, senior Casey Merbler (Baltimore, Md.) went step-in-step with Haverford's Isabele Gotuaco, showing some fantastic skill in a close 3-0 loss on the show court (9-11, 8-11, 7-11).
The Red Devil two through five flights also featured close matches. Number two Stuart Lemay (Harwich Port, Mass.) put together some nice rallies in a 2-3 decision with Bethany Simmonds (11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11).
Three Patricia Francis-Hall (New York, N.Y.) showed solid skill against the Fords' Alex Love (5-11, 5-11, 2-11) and sophomore dual-sport student athlete Merritt Davis (Baltimore, Md.) took Haverford's Isabel Agnew to four sets in the fourth flight (11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 4-11).
Dickinson returns to Centennial Conference action next Sunday Nov. 23, hitting the road for a 9:00 am matchup with Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster, Pa.
