The Andover Boys Squash team’s upset bid against rival Exeter fell short, as Andover dropped the match, 5-2. All members of the Andover team went into the match knowing that Exeter possessed tremendous skill across its team. Andover came out motivated against its rival and got off to a promising start. However, a combination of illness, injury and fatigue caused Andover to lose energy and momentum as the matches progressed. Dave Koppel ’08 and Captain Graham Miao ’09 played grueling five set matches, playing some of their best squash of the season. However, Andover couldn’t overcome Exeter’s tremendous team depth, losing 5-2. On Saturday, Andover traveled to Westminster to compete against both Choate and Westminster. In its first match of the day Andover played Westminster, and the team swept the competition by final score of 7-0. The team played several dominating matches of squash against their opponents from Westminster, recording several shutouts in the competition. After only a short rest, Andover quickly turned around to face a very solid and competitive Choate team. While hoping to carry over momentum from its win over Westminster, Andover prepared for a completely higher level of play. Andover kept the Choate match competitive without key player Foster Jebsen ’08, who suffered a leg injury in earlier play. Losing Jebsen bumped four players up one spot on the ladder, making the competition on Saturday much tougher. Tony Zou ’09, Trey Meyer ’09, Jorden Zanazzi ’08, and John Bukawyn ’08 all played one spot higher than usual, which could have possibly cost Andover the victory. Bukawyn lost a very competitive match at the number seven spot, and both Zanazzi and Dave Koppel ’08 lost their matches in four games. After the seven matches were completed, the final score stood at 5-2 in favor of Choate. The only victories of the match came from Meyer and Zou, who both destroyed their Choate opponents without dropping a game. Despite the loss, the team believes that it is playing with a great deal of confidence and that every player is becoming smarter and more consistent on the court. Miao said, “It was a long day of hard work, and despite the Choate loss that counterbalanced our Westminster sweep, our team has strong determination.” He continued, “I’m confident we’ll be on a winning record soon.” The team looks ahead to a busy schedule with two matches this coming weekend. Andover will travel to Milton on Friday and then to Middlesex on Saturday. The team will play St. George’s next Wednesday. Andover looks to improve its 5-6 record and get back on the winning track as it prepares for Interschols at the end of February.
