According to Coach Jennifer Elliott, Adele Bernhard ’14 “played the best match of her Andover career,” beating a Choate senior in just three games to win the only match of the day for Andover.
Andover lost a hard fought battle against Choate at home on Saturday 1-6. Despite losing by several points, the team had many players whose matches were neck and neck until the end. Unfortunately for Andover, the team as a whole could not pull through in the end.
Saturday’s exception was the number one seed and team captain Bernhard, who played a tight game from start to finish.
Newcomer to the team Camille Price ’15 said, “Adele [Bernhard] had a spectacular match and we’re working really well as a team this year. We’re really excited about the season because we all have a lot of perseverance.”
Despite the overall loss, the team is hopeful about this year. Price said, “I have high expectations for the season because we all have a lot of potential….”
Jessica Lee ’13 agreed, saying, “I think that the fact that we had a number of five-game matches shows that we had the potential to push through, even though they didn’t go our way on Saturday. Hopefully, we will capitalize on this untapped potential in the future.”
While Bernhard was victorious, the rest of the squad played very close matches but could not secure wins. The team’s other two freshman players, Madeline Mayhew ’15 and Hannah Burns ’15, seeded at number three and number six, respectively, both lost in five games. Veteran player Catherine Choi ’13 also suffered a loss in four games.
Although disappointing, the results are an improvement over last season’s dual match against Choate, and the team is optimistic about the rest of the season. Coach Elliott has faith in the team and said, “Our squad of eight is awesome. Hard-working, cooperative, capable, and fun, they are making steady progress each day at practice. I am inspired by their work ethic, and I am excited for the season!”
The team will travel to Loomis this Saturday to play against Loomis and Taft.
