1/30: Andover 8, Groton 0
2/4: Andover 7, Nobles 1
After a challenging matchup against Hotchkiss last week, Girls Squash (8-1) responded with back-to-back victories over Groton and Nobles 8-0 and 7-1 respectively. Led by convincing wins from the team’s top players, it gained momentum as it prepared for its upcoming tournament.
The match against Groton featured long, back-and-forth rallies at the top of the ladder. With Groton’s strength concentrated on the top two seeds, those matches turned into intense battles that tested both sides’ endurance and skill. Lara Kim ’29 reflected on Judy Liu’s ’29 game, where victory was driven by the energy provided by teammates and the home crowd.
“[Judy] was down by a few points in the third game, but she managed to come back to win. It was a really admirable moment. The whole team was watching and cheering her on and it was really impressive because it’s hard for players to maintain that level of focus, especially when you’re down, “ said Lara Kim.
In addition to the energy and support of the team, its performance was fueled by its intense training leading up to the game. Isabella Tang ’28 highlighted a specific moment of encouragement during her game.
“When I was playing Groton, my teammates were all rooting for me around the glass court. We’re doing something new this year, where we do an arm circle. We [talk about] something we’re working on and some positive affirmations that we all repeat. I have a lot of confidence going into these matches and that affects our mindset as well,” said Tang.
Versus Nobles, Girls Squash put together another decisive win over a top ten team in the nation. The team played with purpose, applying pressure and competing through every rally. Co-Captain Minnie Kim ’27 described an intense moment in Caroline Zhao ’27’s game where she was driven by her desire to win.
“Caroline [is] the number six seed. Her first game was very close. She was a bit nervous, but as the second and third game went on, she definitely started to assert her dominance. She played really well, played very strong, and saw the opponents weakness, and then used her best abilities to win the match,” said Minnie Kim.
The atmosphere in Nobles was palpable with a supportive and positive crowd. The team arrived early, and used its time effectively to warm up and prepare while the captains offered encouraging words before the matches began. Liu recalled her experience at the game.
“Nobles was definitely a closer competitor for us this season. We [had] an hour and fifteen to change then warm up. We had positive affirmations. Our captains led us in a circle and talked about what we wanted to work on so we could really hammer out our game plan. The atmosphere was pretty hype. We had some good supporters there. A lot of people’s friends came and I think it was just a very supportive and positive atmosphere,” said Liu
The team looks to extend their win streak away at Brooks on Friday.
