Despite its 10th-place finish in New England, two regular season losses to Exeter left a bitter taste in the mouth of the 2007-2008 Andover Boys Squash team. With a Seniorladen squad returning this winter, Andover has its sights set on toppling Exeter and recording a top-three finish at Interschols. From its preseason loss against Loomis to the Interschols tournament, Andover exhibited tremendous improvement over the course of last season. Impressively, Andover beat its toughest competitor, St. George’s, with a score of 4-3. After having a great season last winter, led by Captain Graham Miao ’09, the team shares an optimistic attitude. “This season promises to be very exciting, because our potential as a team is definitely one of the best in the league. Comprised almost entirely of experienced Seniors, we’re extremely strong,” said Miao. This year, Miao, postgraduate Rishi Jalan ’09 and Tony Zou ’09 look to lead the way for Andover. Miao, who has been playing on varsity for four years, returns for the second straight year as team captain. The team expects Jalan to play number one or two on the ladder. Zou played number two last year and is likely to play number three this year. Having graduated several Senior players such as Foster Jebsen, Dave Koppel, Jorden Zanazzi and Andrew Chan, this year’s team dynamic differs sharply from last season’s. “The top four in the ladder have all played on the team previously besides Jalan, while the bottom half of the top seven are all new,” said Alex Park ’09. Some of the new standout players this season are Eugene Chau ’09, who is number seven on the ladder, and Hunter Schlacks ’11, who was previously a tournament tennis player. “Hunter only started playing squash in September, and he made varsity,” said Park. Other new players to the team include Andrew Hong ’10, Spencer Rice ’09 and Park. The team is looking forward to winning a lot of matches, keeping an accurate ladder and continuing their great team chemistry.
