On Wednesday, Captain Dan Wagman ’06 lost at the number two spot in five games to his Exeter opponent as the Big Red dominated Andover in a 7-0 victory. Captain Wagman said, “Today just wasn’t our day. We are still feeling a little tired from Nationals last weekend. Everyone played really hard, but we just couldn’t pull off any victories.” At the number one spot, Derek de Svastich ’06 faced an incredibly tough opponent who used impeccable length and tight drop shots to keep de Svastich running to each of the corners. The Exeter player cruised, winning in three games. In Captain Wagman’s match, every point went back and forth, with each player waiting for the perfect time to hit an attacking shot. With both players exhausted, the Exeter player finally took the match in the fifth game 9-6. Coach Cone said, “Dan always plays very well under pressure. He did not let the fact that it was the fifth game affect his play.” Simon Keyes ’06 played a great match against his opponent at the number three place. Keyes lost in four hard-fought games. Captain Wagman said, “Simon hustled to every ball and hit some great shots. Those shots really moved his opponent off of the T and gave him some strong opportunities to attack.” Similarly, Graham Miao ’09 lost to his opponent in four games, a player Miao had beaten before. Miao played smart squash, focusing on deception. He hit some great shots that left his opponent completely out of position, and gave Miao the advantage. Unfortunately, Miao could not capitalize on some of his opportunities, allowing the Exeter player to seize the win. Sam Gould ’07 also lost three games to one at the number five spot. Captain Wagman said, “He was hitting some nice volleys that pressured his opponent, but his opponent was having a really on day and got to everything.” In a heartbreaker, Sam Woolford ’06 lost in five games at number six in a match that could have gone either way. Woolford played very consistently, hitting tight rails to keep his opponent behind him, and following up those shots with low volleys. However, the Exeter player was simply able to seize more attacking opportunities, taking the match. Finally, at number seven, Danny Silk ’07 lost in four tough games. Captain Wagman said, “Danny has shown a tremendous amount of improvement in terms of his consistency in hitting the ball.” Silk was able to capture a game by hitting very few unforced errors and keeping his opponent moving. However, the determined Exeter player also had a very low margin of error, hitting many winners. Captain Wagman said about the overall match, “Everyone left everything on the court and played with a lot of heart. We have improved tremendously this season and this loss will make us that much more determined at the Interscholastic this weekend.”
