Despite a clutch kill shot that gave Alex Demeulenaere ’13 a win in his match, Andover Boys Squash suffered a 6-1 loss to a tough Brooks opponent last Thursday. Teddy Drake ’11 at #4, and Alec Buck ’13 at #6 both lost in hard-fought five game encounters. Drake mounted a comeback in his match by mixing his lobs shots with cross-court kills to keep his opponent off balance. Buck used his deep rails to force his opponent into a defensive position. After the tough loss, Andover traveled to Deerfield to make up a match cancelled earlier in the season due to snow. Unfortunately, the Andover squad was missing several players due to sickness, and this resulted in a 5-2 loss. Andover’s #1, Hunter Schlacks ’11, emerged victorious in his Deerfield match. Coach Tom Hodgson described his play, saying, “Hunter Schlacks won in four games by moving his opponent all over the court to test his agility and stamina.” Schlacks added, “I won against Deerfield because my opponent was not fast, and my volleys were earning me a lot of winners.” Alex Kim ’14 edged out his opponent with an 11-9 win in the fifth game. Kim adjusted his strategy part way through the match and utilized his drop shot, which he disguised well with the many deep rails. On Wednesday, Andover traveled to Exeter for the first time this season. Facing a strong, experienced Exeter squash program and battling through sickness, Andover’s players suffered a 7-0 loss. Andover will travel to Interschols this Friday and Saturday to wrap up the season. Captain Jared Curtis ’11 said, “The Andover Varsity team is looking to build from our collective experiences so far this season and put forth a strong effort. TJ Lenzo ’12 will likely have one of the closest individual matches of the team competitions, as he consistently raises his level of play when facing opponents of higher caliber.” With everyone healthy and a full lineup, Andover will be looking to perform well this weekend.
