Second seed Zoe Oasis ’17 rallied a long and exhausting point against her Taft opponent until she placed a definitive drop shot midcourt to seal the match 3-2. Her victory aided Andover Girls Squash in its 7-0 sweep of both its competitors in the team’s annual Taft-Loomis doubleheader on Saturday, which brought Andover’s overall record to 4-2.
Fifth seed Caroline Yun ’18 said, “The team was determined to beat Taft and Loomis [Chaffee] and went into the game with a strong mindset.”
After losing to the same Taft player a few weeks ago at the Groton Invitational Tournament, Oasis redeemed herself through sheer grit and determination this weekend. She lost her first game with a narrow score of 9-11 before winning the next game with a score of 11-8. After a tough loss of 1-11 in her third game, Oasis eventually dominated her final two games with 11-8 and 11-2, respectively.
Fourth seed Jennifer Lee ’18 said, “In the fourth and fifth games of her match against Taft, Zoe did a great job adjusting her shot selection and moving her opponent around the court in more efficient games. Zoe is one of the most physically-fit players on the team, so both her stamina and mental strength enabled her to seal the win.”
This victory also posed an opportunity for Andover as a team to avenge its 3-4 loss to Taft last season.
Then against Loomis, not only did Andover win 7-0, but every seed of the ladder beat her opponent 3-0. The clean sweep was truly a collaborative effort and marked the first time in several years that Andover overcame both Loomis and Taft in this event.
In an email to The Phillipian, Head Coach Jennifer Elliott ’94 wrote, “Every player was relentless, diligent and gritty. Every player worked tirelessly on court and received constructive feedback in between games with an open mind.”
Though the whole team contributed to the win, two of Andover’s standout players were Yun and seventh seed Brita Luke ’19. Yun opened her Taft match with strong games of 11-4 and 11-4, and though she lost the next two 7-11 and 3-11, she rallied back to victory with a score in her final game of 11-5.
Similarly, Luke won the first two games of her Taft match 11-3 and 11-4. She lost the next two with close scores of 12-14 and 9-11, respectively, before finishing the match 11-9.
Elliott said, “Brita Luke and Caroline Yun got off to early leads versus Taft, faced fierce resilience by their opponents and ultimately earned victories as a result of their hard work and smart play.”
Looking forward, Andover hopes to continue its three-game winning streak when it plays against Phillips Exeter Academy this weekend.
“The team is eager to take on Exeter on Friday – it is going to be a tough one! We need to play good, clean squash, relying mostly on accurate length and seize our opportunities to shoot up front; all of the while, we need to be faster and stronger than all of our opponents,” said Elliott.
