Ned Henningsen ’05 played a heroic match against Belmont Hill last Wednesday, but ended up loosing the match 10-8 in the fifth. His teammate Simon Keyes ’06 said of Henningsen’s play, “He really kept his composure after the referee made some unlucky calls.” While Henningsen played his way to a near victory at the number six spot, the rest of the Boys Varsity Squash team had a tougher time. Collectively, the team lost with a match score of 7-0. At numbers one and two, Elliot Beck ’05 and Derek de Svastich ’06 both lost their matches 3-0. Captain Beck beat de Svastich in a recent challenge match and moved back to the number one spot, which he played in all of last year. Although Beck and de Svastich fought for wins, Belmont Hill’s one and two players were ranked two and sixth in the country and proved to be too tough for Andover’s players. Dan Wagman ’06, Henry Manice ’05, and Greg Feldmann ’05 played at the third, fourth, and fifth spots for Andover, respectively, and all lost their matches in three games. Number seven Simon Keyes ’06 got a game off of his Belmont Hill opponent, but ultimately lost in the fourth game. “It wasn’t a great time to play a tough team. We were pretty tired because we’re in the middle of midterm week,” says Keyes. The match may have come at a bad time, but the worst is over for the Boys Squash Team. Belmont Hill’s Boys Varsity Squash Team has been the perennial boarding school champion, boasting a 15-0 record. Andover will get another chance to play this very strong team again at Interschols. The Boys Squash Team was far more successful in its home matches against Middlesex and Brooks last Saturday, dominating the teams with scores of 5-2 and 7-0. While Beck and Wagman easily won their games against Brooks, they were outplayed by their opponents from Middlesex and lost the matches. De Svastich won both his matches at number one. Manice, Henningsen, Feldmann, and Keyes also contributed victories at the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh spots. Manice played dramatic matches against Brooks and Middlesex. Both times he came back from being down two games. Keyes commended his teammate’s tenacity, saying, “He played well in both matches, those were great comebacks.”
