Andover Girls Tennis prevailed over Choate on Saturday, winning 8-1, but fell to Hotchkiss later that same day 3-6. On Wednesday the team came away with another win against Deerfield 7-2. Isabella Haegg ’16 kept Choate on its toes, and ultimately contributed to Andover’s win with a final score of 2-1. However, Andover was not able to achieve the same result in their match against Hotchkiss, a match which was anticipated to be the toughest of the season. Andover lost its doubles on courts one and two, but Katherine Tobeason ’14 and Mackenzie Strabala ’13 exhibited their improved doubles skills on court three and came out with a win for the team. Andover lost its first four singles matches on the ladder but came away with wins in spots five and six. Campbell Howe ’14 dropped her first set, won her second and played a spectacular tiebreaker to win her match at number five on the ladder. “About halfway through the match I realized I needed to step up my game and go for better angles. In the tiebreaker, I just got inside her head and played it out. I’ve played her every year since we were kids, so I knew how to mess up her strategy,” said Howe. The team played well as a whole, but the losses of a few close matches cost them the win. On Wednesday, the team performed better and dominated Deerfield, losing only one doubles match and one single match. The team was relieved that it could pull out a win despite the disadvantage of not having had practice for a few days. “Campbell and I played doubles together, which was a tough match, as we were a little off our game. Then we had our singles match in which we both rallied back and played hard and won our singles simultaneously” said MJ Engel ’13. There were some shifts on the ladder this week that assisted the win. Howe was moved from the bottom of the ladder to the number four position. Howe’s match was very competitive, with she and her opponent went back and forth rapidly. The two had faced each other previously, and Howe lost to her last year in a tiebreaker. This year, however, she bested her opponent 8-4. There were also changes to the doubles ladder, which included Tobeason played with Strabala. “We really pulled through a tough match. We also played as a team and are really grateful to have our Seniors,” said Tobeason. “Katherine Lee [’13] and I won our doubles match and are happy to see that we are really beginning to come together as a team. We were also happy with our overall playing, because it’s one thing to play good doubles, and another to play good singles,” said Camille Price ’15. Lee and Price’s match was a battle; the pair was down 5-6 and then rallied back 8-6 giving them a crucial point advantage. Next week the girls will face both BB&N and Exeter on Friday and Saturday, respectively. BB&N has strong players at the one and two spots, but the talent level towards the bottom of its ladder is not anticipated to be as strong.
