Middlesex hosted Brooks on Wednesday, January 25--our first match of the second semester. Brooks hit the ball with pace up and down the ladder and retrieved with energy, so that the Zebras found it difficult to win points. The visiting team also had a knack for putting the ball away when MX coughed up a weak shot; thus, our backs were to the wall and things looked grim for a while. Though she won her first game at #2, sophomore Mira Handa had trouble counteracting her opponent's pace and short game and lost 3-1. At #7 Senior Lucy Reece played cleverly, but she struggled against a player who hit powerful crosses and Lucy lost in three close games. Thus, MX could only lose one more match. At #4 senior Pennie Gould got off to a quick start and though her opponent began to close, Pennie won her match 3-0, 13-11 in the third game.  At #6 Senior Grace Crozier won her first two games by pounding the ball to the back, but her opponent's power and volleying began to turn the match, and Grace lost the third game 11-6. Since she had suffered a muscle strain, Grace knew she had to close the match out in the fourth, but her opponent's tough serving and power pulled her ahead 6-4 and 7-5 and the match seemed to be slipping away. However Grace won five points in a row with astute serving and powerful backhands to grab the fourth game and the match 11-7.

At this point, both teams had won two matches. At #5 junior Nina Thomas won a tight first game and did not look back, exploiting her court coverage and power to close out the next two games quickly. MX was one match from victory. However, the Brooks #1 hit short shot after short shot to edge senior Olivia Gish 11-9 in the third and the match was tied 3-3. Everything now depended on the marathon match being played at #3: sophomore Syona Shah had won the first game 15-13, but lost the second 11-9. With the match tied 3-3, Syona pulled out a very tight third game 12-10--and onto the fourth game they went. Syona ran out a 3-0 lead and the match seemed hers, but her opponent responded with some terrific retrieving and sharp short shots to win the fourth 11-6. The advantage seemed to lie with the Brooks player, who had taken control of the match in the fourth game. But Syona dug deep and played a strong fifth game, full of sharp, unexpected crosses and relentless retrieving; soon Syona was up 10-4 and had six match balls. But she could not convert on her first three chances and the Brooks #3 seemed to be working her way back into the match. The assembled crowd grew louder and louder. Though Syona was hitting sharply, her opponent was retrieving everything and there seemed no place on the court Syona could put the ball to win the last point. However, one final backhand cross by Syona was just beyond her opponent's reach and Syona closed out the fifth game 11-7 to win her match. MX thus pulled out the team match 4-3.