With a final hit, second seed Captain Skyler Spaulding ’20 won her game, contributing to Andover’s 6-1 victory over Brooks. Andover also beat Groton 5-2 on Friday, improving its season record to 5-4.
Despite the team’s fatigue after a long week, Andover was able to muster up the energy to defeat Groton on Friday, according to fourth seed Saffron Agrawal ’21.
Agrawal said, “Groton was a bit of a closer match but everyone really kept their cool the entire time and we won, so that was really fun… I think that the team did really well. With Groton, it was tough because it was a Friday game, Friday afternoon, so after a long week, it’s hard to play a match. We did a really good job restarting after the bus ride and really trying our best on Friday night.”
Andover’s efforts in practice came to fruition in its match against Brooks, especially in the case of first seed Mariam Elkheshen ’21, according to Spaulding.
“Even though Mariam lost her match against a really tough opponent, she always shows how to be an aggressive and effective competitor,” Spaulding said.
Elkheshen added in an email to The Phillipian, “I think everyone tried to give their best out on the court [on Wednesday] even if it wasn’t their day. I believe the most memorable moment was when everyone was cheering for me even when I was losing… For me, I think I need to try to keep my head in the game at all times, especially when I’m losing.”
In addition to Elkheshen, Spaulding and third seed Charlotte Toogood ’20 both played admirably well, according to Agrawal and Elkeshen.
“[On Wednesday], people were setting goals to work on and I think they did a good job in achieving those goals. I watched [Toogood’s] game and her goal was to volley a lot, and she did that really well,” said Agrawal.
Elkheshen wrote, “I only watched Skyler’s match because my match was the last one, but I think she has been doing so well, she has been really focused on her opponent’s weaknesses and she was always ready to hunt loose balls.”
This weekend, the team will travel to Connecticut to participate in U.S. High School Team Squash Championships. According to Agrawal, many players, including herself, are excited about the opportunity.
“This weekend is Nationals, so there will be a lot of games in Connecticut. I’m really excited because I hope to learn a lot from each game, especially the first couple of games, to make myself play better in the last games. I’m really excited to be able to play a lot,” said Agrawal.
