Saturday 12/7 : 7-1 W vs Milton Academy
Girls Squash opened its season on Saturday with a match against Milton, bringing home a strong win (7-1). Although having only trained for a short three days together after returning from Fall break, the team was able to perform well and snatch the victory.
Minnie Kim ’27 highlighted the collective effort of team members in training independently during Fall term, fueling the team’s excitement for the season and setting a positive tone for its games.
“Over this past Fall term, I’ve seen a lot of the girls at the courts, training on their own. Before this match, it was our match right after we came back from Thanksgiving, so it was kind of a quick turnaround, but we prepped well. We were all super excited and energetic going into the match, and that was great energy going in,” said Kim.
Reflecting on Saturday’s match, Rachel Levitsky ’28 explained the crucial shot techniques that the team focused on, which ended up contributing greatly to its success.
“The serve is the most important because it starts off the rally. Also, the most important shot after the serve is probably the straight drives, which are just straight shots to the back. I had a good couple of drops, which is like a short shot in the front. We focused on those skills during our matches which contributed to the win,” said Levitsky.
Selene Xu ’27 praised her teammate, Isabella Tang ’28, who played as the number one seed for the match against Milton. Despite being new to both the team itself and team-format matches, Tang showcased determination and mental strength.
“[Isabella] had a really, really close game. She was so close to winning, and I’m so proud of her even though, of course, she didn’t win the game. She played really well, she fought really hard, and she was really tough, mentally, and she just played so well. I was so impressed, especially because it was her first game with Andover, because she’s a Freshman. I’m just really proud of her,” Xu said.
As a Junior, Levitsky noted the team’s welcoming community. She highlighted the familial environment of the team and the positive atmosphere during the game on Saturday.
“It’s welcoming and a warm environment, and the captains, especially, have been very inclusive. It’s a very supportive team, so we are all cheering for each other. For example, when your match was over, the [referees] would be cheering for you. The relationship with the other team was also good. There was no fighting about calls or anything, so that was good, and the environment was very supportive and a great way to open the season,” said Levitsky.
Xu offered insight on how by combining with the JV team, all of Girls Squash was able to bond during the match. She specifically noted the supportive energy and cheering on the courts.
“The team environment was definitely really good, because we were playing together with JV, and the whole team was cheering for each other no matter who was playing. On every single court there was at least one Andover kid cheering for them. That was really nice because cheering for your teammates is a really big part, especially for encouraging them,” Xu said.
In preparation for the upcoming Groton Tournament, Kim hopes that the week ahead will yield fruitful training results. The team is currently striving to consolidate its skills and focus more on consistent match play.
“We have a tournament in Groton, so that’s where all the schools come and play. Leading up to it, we’re just gonna really focus on getting back into match play and being able to consistently play matches. We have a full week ahead of us, no matches on Wednesday, so we can all just really train and practice,” said Kim.
Girls Squash will play at the Groton Tournament this Saturday.
