Captain Sam Gould ’07 destroyed his Deerfield opponent last Wednesday, in his match against Deerfield’s number one player. After two tough losses against Choate and Taft earlier during the week, Andover bounced back with a sound win over Deerfield last Wednesday. After these two crushing defeats last Saturday against league powerhouses Choate and Taft, the squad pulled away with its first win of the season this Wednesday with a sound victory over Deerfield, improving their record to 1-3 and keeping the team’s spirits high in the early season. After just two days of practice, the Andover squad took the long ride to Choate last Saturday to play both Choate and the incredible Taft team in a three- team showdown. Unfortunately for Andover, both teams turned out to be too much to handle, as the Big Blue suffered two tough loses 0-7, 0-7. Although the team failed to win a single match, many players fought hard and played their opponents well. In the first match, the Andover squad took on a tough Choate opponent. After losing many graduating varsity members, the Choate team looked vulnerable and the Big Blue hoped to record a decisive victory. In the first match of the day, Graham Miao ’09, playing number two for Andover, took a dominating 2-1 lead with tight rails and a deadly volley drop. But after three games, fatigue set in, and Miao simply could not keep up with his Choate opponent, narrowly losing 2-3. Captain Sam Gould ’07 also played well, but lost his match 0-3. Playing in the number one spot for Andover, Gould struggled against a formidable first seeded Choate opponent. Dave Koppel ’08 was the only other member of the team to win a game, losing in a close 1-3. Varsity reserve John Bukawyn ’08 won his Choate match 3-0 with an inspiring and uplifting performance. Unfortunately this win failed to inspire the remaining players, and Andover finished its first match of the early season disappointed, After a brief break, Andover once again took the courts and played a talented powerhouse Taft squad. Again, Andover struggled, losing 0-7. Koppel showed his talent, and was once again the only member to win a game against Taft. He took his number seven match to four games with strong rails and solid cross courts. However, Koppel failed to follow through, falling in a tough 1-3 match. After several tough fitness sessions and long practices, the team was fully prepared for its first home match of the season against Deerfield last Wednesday. The Deerfield team had been very poor in the last couple of seasons, and after graduating six of its top seven players, the team was not expected to be any better this year. After many hard fought matches, Andover came out on top 6-1 and recorded their first victory of the early season. Captain Gould, Miao, Andrew Chan ’08, and Foster Jebsen ’08 played exceptionally well with 3-0 wins over their Deerfield opponents. Koppel, Matt Schubert ’07, and Bukawyn also played well, winning in four games, 3-1. Danny Silk ’07 had the only loss, but played hard and fought to the end. Next week, the Andover squad will take on Groton and Loomis, and hope to improve its record to 3-3.
