After an extended rally, Jennifer Lee ’18 struck a deep forehand into the back of the court and out of her opponent’s reach to clinch her match. Lee’s victory secured Andover Girls Squash a win in its match against St. Paul’s this past Wednesday, bringing the team’s record to 5-2.
In its victory over St. Paul’s, Andover saw victories from first seed Zoe Oasis ’17, second seed Avery Westerfield ’18, third seed Lee, fifth seed Caroline Yun ’18 and sixth seed Brita Luke ’19.
Lee said, “Overall, the team played consistently and smart squash against St. Paul’s. Each girl worked hard and focused on specific parts of her game that would improve her position on the court. The entire team was really positive and encouraging throughout the match – this positivity definitely translated into how everyone mentally prepared for their matches.”
“I really focused on hitting my rails deep and tight against the side wall. In the second and third games, I was able to tailor my shot selection and movement to force my opponent into the deep backhand and forehand corners of the court. These adjustments definitely improved my game,” continued Lee.
Lee won her match in a three-set sweep with scores of 11-7, 11-6 and a dominant final set victory of 11-1.
Oasis elevated her play against her St. Paul’s opponent, who is their first seed player. She executed a clean and fast-paced match with set scores of 11-9, 11-6 and 11-6.
First seed Prianca Patel ’19 said, “Zoe Oasis won her game in three and she played really well, hitting all the right shots and constructing the rallies smartly and with determination.”
Last Saturday, Andover squared off against archrival Phillips Exeter Academy, losing 3-4.
Patel lost her first two games with scores 5-11 and 8-11 respectively, but managed to recover, however, in her third game with a score of 12-10, before falling 9-11 in the fourth.
Patel said, “I was playing with a slightly broken finger, so it was hard for me to execute the game plan, [but] I tried my hardest and was able to steal a game from my opponent.”
Yun won her match against her Exeter opponent with scores 12-10, 11-4 and 11-8 respectively.
“I played a safe game, getting balls back in play but also volleying a lot to hit offensive winners,” said Yun.
Motivated by the close margin of the loss against Exeter, the team attacked St. Paul’s with renewed vigor and secured a victory.
Andover will take the court with newfound vigor to start a winning streak against Groton this Friday.
