Catching his opponent off guard with a rail, Captain David Tsai ’18 intercepted the weak return shot and dropped a boast into the front corner to win his match. This win was one of many that propelled Andover Boys Squash to a 5-2 victory against Milton. After a 5-2 loss against Brooks on Thursday, the team’s record now stands at 2-2.
Andover faced Milton on Wednesday at home. The team hoped to rebound after a tough loss to Brooks and succeeded with many strong performances.
Ishaan Patel ’18 said, “Our second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh seeds won. Overall it was a really good match. Both of the freshman on our team won which was great to see, as an early win in the season is great for confidence. Our fifth seed, Sean Kim [’18], had a fantastic match. He lost in four games, but played his heart out. He gave it all he had to the very end and played some great squash. As did our number one.”
Although Andover defeated its opponent, the team still has areas in need of improvement, according to some of the players.
Patel said, “I think that we just need to work on our technique to improve. Our [Juniors] are getting more comfortable with high school squash, but still have some technical work to do, as do many of our other team members.”
Earlier in the week on Thursday, Andover faced a talented Brooks team. Despite Brooks’s dominating score, all of the matches were very close.
Xander Schwartz ’19 said, “I thought the team played pretty well overall against a strong Brooks team that finished seventh nationwide last year and had beaten us 7-0 multiple times. The bottom of the lineup did very well winning two matches, and our five seed, Sean Kim, was incredibly unlucky to not win a game, losing 14-12, 12-10, 16-14 against a tough and more experienced opponent.”
Andover traveled away to face its opponent and found trouble adjusting to the new environment. Schwartz said, “A lot of us had to adjust how we played because the courts at Brooks are made out of a different material from our home courts.”
“There’s still much to improve upon, as we are still a clear notch below some of the top teams such as a Brooks or Belmont Hill in all facets of the game, but there is a marked improvement from last year. We knew going into the match that a path to victory would be incredibly narrow, so getting a few matches is an incredibly good sign for the matches to come,” continued Schwartz.
The team is encouraging each athlete to continue its work over the long, three-week winter break. After the team comes back in January, it will face Deerfield with hopes of developing momentum with a win streak.
Patel said, “I think the upcoming break is going to be really good for all of us. I think we are all going to work on our technique as well as our fitness, leaving us extremely prepared for the tough schedule that awaits after we get back from break.”
