For the men's team (8-3, 0-2 Ivy), Michael Shrubb '10 and co-captain Tyler Young '09, in the number sixth and seventh spots, respectively, both rallied through tense showdowns to come away victorious in five games.
The newest faces on the team also notched strong numbers to cement the win for Dartmouth.
Nick Sisodia '12, Brian O'Toole '12 and Stephen Wetherill '12, playing in the second, fifth and eighth spots, respectively, all hammered their opponents, delivering success in three quick games. In the number nine position, Luke Lee '12 came back from a slim loss in the first game to take the next three and the win.
Sisodia attributed the young players' performances to their readiness to learn from experience.
"This was a good showing for all of us," he said. "We all had formidable opponents and didn't let the pressure get to us. All the freshman have been very keen on improving their games this season, and it's starting to show come match time."
At the number one spot, Andrew Boumford '09 overpowered his opponent, Ethan Buchsbaum, winning the match in three quick games.
Dan Wagman '10, in the number ten spot, put away Williams freshman Jared Zuckerman in three games.
The only losses for the Big Green came from Ted Newhouse '09 in the third spot and Michael Lewis '11 in the fourth spot. After dropping the first game, Newhouse squeezed past senior George Miller to win the second. His efforts fell short, however, as he lost the next two consecutive games.
"We're really happy about today's win," said Sisodia. "It was crucial that we beat Williams to solidify our position in the A draw at nationals."
The team hopes to use the surging momentum as a catapult for its upcoming match against No. 4 Cornell Saturday.
"Cornell has the strongest team they've had in a while," said Sisodia. "Every match will be hard-fought, but if we continue to stay focused, I see no reason why we can't cause the upset."
The Dartmouth women's team (7-4, 0-2 Ivy) stumbled against Williams (8-6, 4-1 NESCAC), posting only a pair of wins for a final score of 2-7.
Co-captains Libbey Brown '10 and Madeline Lurio '09 captured the only two victories for the Big Green. In the number three spot, Lurio swept all three of her games, while Brown, in the number two spot, faltered during the first game, but recuperated to come back and clinch the next three.
"Everyone played really well today," said Lurio. "Unfortunately we lost, but the match definitely could have gone either way. It just was not our day."
Maura Doherty '11, Caroline Lindseth '12 and Julia Watson '12, in the fourth, eighth and 10th spots, respectively, put up a tough fight, all reaching the fifth game. Each player, however, fell short of a victory.
In the number one spot, Hannah Conant '11 was derailed by junior Toby Eyre, who is ranked No. 6 nationally, according to the College Squash Association.
With the defeat, Dartmouth dropped down in the standings to No. 9, just one spot out of the top bracket for nationals.
"We have some more really important matches coming up in the next few weeks such as Brown and Stanford," Lurio said. "Despite being disappointed about today's loss, everyone is staying positive and getting excited in preparation for our upcoming matches."
"It's very exciting. It always is with Williams. Who knows, it could have gone either way," head coach John Power said.
The men's and women's teams take to the road this weekend as they compete in the Cornell Invitational. The squads will face Hamilton College on Friday before taking on Cornell, their third Ivy League match-up, on Saturday.
