Andover: 7 Groton: 0
Andover: 6 Exeter: 1
On Saturday, Andover defeated Groton for the first time in years. The team continued its undefeated streak against Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Wednesday.
Heading into the match against Groton, Andover was prepared for a difficult match considering its losses in the 2023-2024 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championships. Andover triumphed in its shutout this year, according to Chase Burke ’25.
“Last year we lost to Groton twice, including during the NEPSAC tournament semifinals, so they ended our season last year. It had been years since we’d ever beat Groton, let alone [swept] them, so, to go out there and when everyone was playing their best tennis, and when each player came off and each player won their match, it was just really exciting to watch it all unfold,” said Burke.
Co-Captain Kian Burt ’24 highlighted Jeff Shen ’26 and Burke’s performances in their match. With the both of them splitting sets in their singles matches, Shen and Burke won close victories in tiebreakers, contributing to Andover’s final victory.
“Jeff and Chase really stood out. Jeff was playing a really grueling match. He was facing opponents very consistently and had very good strokes, and he was able to just stay patient and battle it out and win in the third set tiebreak. And Chase was playing a very seasoned tennis player, and he was able to stay confident. He did not look like he had nerves at all, which [was] very impressive, and [he was] also able to win in the third set tiebreak,” said Burt.
The team’s improvement stems from seasoned players and the new lineup. Burke noted that having new talents on the team, seed two Jeff Shen ’26, and seed three Jacob Pletka ’27 has contributed to the teams’ undefeated streak.
“I would say I improved a lot from last year, which helped a lot and Ben Shin [’26] also improved a lot. So, I would say most of it is training. I think the four returning players who are on the lineup are playing much better this year than last year. And then when you add that to [the] two new players, like all of it kind of is coming together and we have really good chemistry this year and we’re all doing a good job of working together, playing together and it’s showing in the results,” said Burke.
In preparation for the tough competition, the team diverted to personalized practices to target specific areas for each player. Burt emphasized how the small team size allows them to prioritize and address shortcomings.
“We have a lot of flexibility. If there’s something you want to work on, we can always talk with Coach and talk to other players and figure out a way to improve something. So, I feel like being a smaller team we’re able to utilize that flexibility to help us improve,” said Burt.
Boys Tennis won its match 6-1 against Exeter but dropped its second doubles match of the season and its singles first seed. Burke had noted his aspirations for the match.
“Wednesday is an important match. We play Exeter. It’s our second away game. So, we dropped our first doubles match of the whole year against Groton, so I think we’ll definitely put some emphasis on doubles, mak[ing] sure we secure that doubles point. But, from then on, just keep training how we normally do, keep working hard, and we should be good to go for Wednesday,” said Burke.
This weekend, Boys Tennis will play Roxbury Latin and Hoosac at home.
