Despite a dominating victory by Lydia Smith ’09, Girls Varsity Squash lost a tough match to Middlesex, 1-6. Playing in the number two position, Smith forcefully defeated her opponent 3-0. Smith’s perfectly executed shots combined with her powerful serve lead to her important win for the team. Although almost all of the Andover players had close matches, only Smith was able to pull out a victory. “The score really doesn’t reflect how we played. Every match was extremely close,” said Lauren Wilmarth ’09. Wilmarth played the number three position on Saturday and lost an intense match in four games. Wilmarth dropped her first game, but impressively rebounded to tie the score up 1-1. In the end, Wilmarth couldn’t pull out a victory over her Middlesex opponent, falling 1-3. Lizzy Chan ’08 also was defeated in four arduous games against a strong competitor. Nicole Duddy ’08 played in one of the closest matches of the day. After a back and forth battle, the score stood tied after four games. Despite her best efforts, Duddy couldn’t fight back from an early deficit and lost the decisive game. The other three heartbreaking losses for Andover each went into overtime. Andover played with a lot of heart and determination, but Middlesex proved to be a more experienced team. Coach Tom Hodgson said, “Our team is one of the least experienced in the A Division, so we have a lot of areas to work on, and we are improving at a good rate.” Despite their lack of experience as a team, the team’s prospects look promising for the rest of the season. “We are serving well, beginning to use the top of the front wall to push our opponents into the back of the court, and making better decisions during rallies,” added Hodgson, pointing out some of the team’s strengths this season. What the team lacks in experience, it makes up for in team spirit and enthusiasm. Coach Hodgson concluded, “The team works hard, competes well, has fun and has deserved to win from the point of view of sportsmanship in every match so far.” The team is also looking to improve their weak spots. Captain Carolyn Brown ’09 remarked, “I feel like we are a strong team and that we’re getting better.” Brown continued, “Trying to beat some of these harder teams is a challenge, but we have a lot of potential.” Andover has two tough upcoming away games, as the team faces Milton Academy on Friday. On the following Monday Andover will face Brooks. The team is looking to improve their record of 4-8 and hit its stride in the final month of the season.
