Killing the ball in a precise crosscourt nick placed perfectly between the vertical wall and the floor, Co-Captain Madeleine Mayhew ’15 decisively shattered her opponent’s momentum in the first game of the Draw One finals. Mayhew powered on to take the first set, an example of the individual skill and determination that earned Andover Girls Squash first place of seven schools at the Groton “Playday” Tournament on Saturday.
“Today, Andover was recognized as a force to be reckoned with,” said Mayhew in an email to The Phillipian. “To be honest I didn’t see any weaknesses. We all played like we had nothing to lose and it paid off.”
Although Mayhew lost her final match 2-1, she placed second in her draw and played a pivotal role in Andover’s overall triumph. With the team of eight split into four draws, each player played three to five games within her draw, which determined a final ranking and score.
Andover Girls Squash dominated across the draws: following Mayhew were Camille Price ’15 in first and Emma Crowe ’15 in fourth in Draw Two, and Hannah Burns ’15 in first and Claire Kister ’16 in third in Draw Three.
Totaling 85 points, Andover eked out second-place Groton by five points and trumped third-place Milton by almost 20 points.
Crowe said the team’s success is a direct result of both innate skill and grueling training. Led by Head Coach Jennifer Elliott, the team has focused on increasing physical endurance and fitness through prolonged practices in the past week.
“It’s exhausting playing one match after the other. You don’t get much resting time in between matches and even though you’re only playing to three sets as opposed to five, you’re constantly going through emotional cycles,” said Crowe.
Mayhew said, “The hardest part of the tournament for my teammates was probably the third match– but our fitness preparation with Mrs. Elliott geared us up to be able to play when we were tired.”
This first victory shows a turning point in momentum for Andover Girls Squash as they look to improve their 7-6-0 record from last year.
“Up until this year we have been definite underdogs, but today proved us, and everyone wrong,” said Mayhew.
Crowe said, “We’re hoping to continue along the same trajectory. Momentum is significant in squash because it’s such a mental sport.”
“We all play very differently as individuals and we all need to work on different things, but the most important thing at this point is to keep up team morale and build confidence and just keep on working hard,” she continued.
The results of the Playday tournament will not count toward Andover’s regular season record. The team will take on Brooks on Monday.
