Through a mix of wins and losses, Girls/Non-Binary Ultimate has continued to build momentum through its recent stretch of games. Following a strong showing at the NEPSUL Championships, the team carried its growth into several recent matchups, including games against Somerville and Newton North.
After the team’s recent win over Newton North, Helen Xiong ’29 noted that the team’s improvement became especially visible after an earlier tournament, where Andover earned its first win of the season.
“Something that stood out to me in general was that our cutters have improved a lot. I think we had a tournament the Sunday before that game, and after that tournament, everyone improved a lot. We also had our first win during that tournament, which was really nice. So I think the improvement that all the players got after the tournament was shown during the game,” said Xiong.
Tiffanie An ’29 emphasized the team’s balanced effort against Newton North, noting that contributions came from across the team.
“As a team, we worked really well together. There were a lot of people who had really strong moments, so there’s not really anyone in particular who stood out. Everyone really played their best, and it was also really nice to have a win,” said An.
Despite recent improvements, the team also faced a tough setback against Somerville, falling 6–9; in another recent matchup, Andover fell to Cambridge RL 3–12. Despite the loss, Jane Hlavaty ’28 emphasized the team’s strong spirit and continued development throughout the game.
“One cool thing was that our coach let me throw a hammer, which is a pretty risky throw, but it turned out pretty well, and we almost scored. A lot of other people really stepped up today, like Jeannie Kang [’28], [Co-Captains] Iris [Liu ’26] and Niki [Tavakoli ’27]. Niki got a Spirit Award, so I’m really proud of her, and everyone did really well today,” said Hlavaty.
Throughout the season, team culture has remained an important part of the team’s identity. Xiong described the team’s use of cheers, chants, and themed “psyches” before games.
“We’re pretty consistent with our psyches. Before every single game, we’ve had a psyche, and the theme is usually really creative, or at least interesting. I really enjoyed the rainbow psyche because we all coordinated together,” said Xiong.
Hlavaty also shared one of the team’s long-standing traditions.
“Coming back from a tournament or just a game, we always play the song Halo by Beyoncé. That’s a big tradition in the whole ultimate community.” said Hlavaty.
Girls/Non-Binary Ultimate will compete at the NEPSUL Tournament this Saturday.
