In her first season with Andover Girls Squash, Minnie Kim ’27 played third in the lineup in the game against St. George’s.
Wednesday 12/13 – Andover: 7, St. George’s: 0
On Saturday, Andover Girls Squash (2-0) played in the Groton Invitational Tournament. Andover played seven teams: Brooks, Tabor Academy, Choate, Phillips Exeter Academy, Noble and Greenough, Groton, and St. George’s. In total, Girls Squash played 34 best-of-3 matches. On Wednesday, Andover hosted St. George’s and swept, winning all of its matches.
Across the day, the tournament at Groton was a packed day with 144 matches played. With seven different teams at the tournament, the energy was tumultuous. With that said, this organized chaos brought a lot of energy to each court. Prisha Shivani ’26 talked about how the fast-paced environment made for an electric tournament.
Shivani said, “The atmosphere was very fast-paced because they used a hot court system which means as soon as a match was done another one would start. Since we were playing multiple times we had to be ready to play at all times. Our team was very supportive of each other. There was never a match going on where we weren’t supporting each other. It was also very friendly, like a friendly tournament.”
Leading up to the tournament, the team focused on specific shots and match play to get more comfortable on the court. Shivani highlighted how the team’s work on shots helped Andover gain confidence going into Saturday.
Shivani said, “We worked on specific shots. One day we focused on boasts and another day drives and another day drops and kills. We got good practice with each type of shot so I think we were all more confident leading up to the tournament because we knew which shots were available to us. We also incorporated some match play in the practices leading up to the game so that was helpful because it was a really match-heavy day.”
According to Minnie Kim ’27, the bond between the team is a crucial factor in Andover’s success. Kim ’27 noted that on Saturday, the team supported each player and even provided tips when necessary.
Kim ’27 said, “For every single match we had at least one team member would be watching and cheering and even coaching if that player needed help. I think this was great. We had a really strong team connection and bond.”
Co-Captain Migyu Kim ’25 credited the team’s success on Wednesday to its physical and mental strength, and the work put in at practices.
Kim ’25 said, “Overall, everyone is a great player and we have all been working really hard making the most of all our practices throughout the last couple of weeks. I also think the positive energy is always great. As a team, we all have great sportsmanship and are very resilient and focused. It isn’t always the physical side of the game but also the mental side in squash. Everyone is positive and focused throughout their matches which helps us to be successful.”
Andover will continue its season in 2024 against Choate.
