Lydia Smith ’09, playing the number two position, picked up the lone match victory for the Andover Girls Varsity Squash team against archrival Exeter this Wednesday. Andover suffered a disappointing 6-1 loss overall. Smith defeated her opponent by a narrow margin of 9-7 in the first game. She became more comfortable on the Exeter courts as the match progressed, winning her second game 9-4. By combining the strength of her serve with several excellently-placed shots, she triumphed in her third and final game 9-1 for the overall win. Lauren Wilmarth ’09, who played at number three, had the most competitive match of the day. She rallied with her opponent in the first game and tied the score at 8-8. But Wilmarth fell 10-8 in overtime. In the second game, she came back forcefully and secured a 9-4 win, tying the match up 1-1. After many exhausting points, Wilmarth lost her third game 7-9. She came from behind and tied the fourth game 9-9, and she pulled out a 10-9 win in overtime, tying the overall match score at 2-2. In the fifth game, she was ahead for the majority of the time. With a 7-2 lead, she could not finish and lost by a narrow margin of 7-9. “Lauren’s match was extremely well played and extremely close. I think it could have ended up either way, but unfortunately, it just didn’t end in our favor,” said Captain Carolyn Brown ’09. Wilmarth had the only match victory for the Girls Varsity Squash team last Thursday against St. Paul’s. Despite Andover’s best efforts, the team lost 6-1. Wilmarth, who typically plays number three, aced her opponent in three short games at the number two position. She dominated every play and capitalized on her opponents weaknesses. Wilmarth won her first game 9-3, her second 9-5, and ended with a final victory of 9-3. Wilmarth’s drop shots and low box serve worked particularly well against her St. Paul’s opponent. Captain Brown remarked, “Not only did she win but all her serves were right on. When she serves well, she’s unstoppable.” Captain Brown lost her match at the number one position in four games. She started strong and won her first game 9-7. After rallying every point back and forth, she lost her second game 7-9. Captain Brown hit a lot of cross-court shots, and her opponent capitalized on them and earned the few extra crucial points. Both girls played well in the following games but Brown lost them 6-9 and 5-9. Christine Choi ’09 and Nicole Wagner ’09 playing positions four and six, respectively, both lost in three games. Nicole Duddy ’08 and Lizzy Chan ’08 lost in four games at positions three and five, respectively. Kim Kohn ’10 had a close five-game match at number seven, but could not pull out a victory in the last game. The team will travel to Choate Rosemary Hall this weekend for the New England Interscholastic Championship. The girls have been focusing on varying their serves and making good decisions on the court, which should give them an edge at the tournament. “We’re looking to play well and have fun,” Captain Carolyn Brown commented, “we definitely have the potential to do very well.”
