In the longest match of the day, fifth seed Lauren Fanning ’19 claimed a 2-1 victory over her Phillips Exeter Academy opponent. Andover Girls Tennis went on to earn its fifth sweep of its undefeated season, claiming a 9-0 win over Exeter.
Following its sweep of Exeter, Andover faced off against Middlesex on Wednesday. Before the doubles matches were cancelled due to the rain, Andover attained a 6-0 victory from its performance in singles, extending its record to 8-0.
Fanning said, “We always practice really hard every day, and that was great preparation for my match. I was able to keep up my energy level because of this. The girl was really hard to play mentally and physically because of the pace that she was giving me, but over time I was able to adjust to it and win.”
Andover’s school rivalry with Exeter fueled the team’s matches on Saturday. First singles seed and Co-Captain Reagan Posorske ’17 handled her opponent with ease, securing a quick 6-0, 6-0 victory.
“Exeter is one of my favorite teams to play against, because there’s obviously a very old rivalry that goes on between our two schools. So going into singles I was motivated to win all the more, because they’re our rivals, which definitely helped me because I was super focused,” said Posorske.
Playing second seed, Dariya Zhumashova ’17 swept her match 6-0, 6-0, and third seed Sewon Park ’17 locked a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Fourth seed and Co-Captain Isabella Haegg ’16 dominated 6-0, 6-3. In her singles debut this season, Charlotte Welch ’18 beat her opponent 6-1, 6-2.
Welch said, “My opponent was quick on her feet and had a very strong serve but not especially great ground strokes. I tried to exploit her backhand as much as possible during the match to earn my final win.”
First doubles seeds Posorske and Zhumashova won their match 8-1. In the tightest match of the day, Park and Haegg clinched an 8-6 victory by playing aggressively and sustaining their energy level. Lauren Lee ’18 and Katherine Hu ’19 outplayed Exeter 8-4 in their first match as doubles partners.
In the team’s sixth sweep of the season against Middlesex, Posorske and Zhumashova both beat their opponents 8-0. In the absence of Park, Haegg stepped up to play third seed, clinching an 8-3 win.
In the fourth seed spot, Hu dominated 8-2 and fifth seed Fanning outplayed her opponent 8-0. Lee swept her match 8-0 in the sixth seed spot.
“A big focus of mine has been balancing between playing offensive and defensive. I’ve become a lot more confident with staying in the point, as well as finishing the point when an opening comes up. A key part of my matches is continuing to stay in the point. I always tell myself to focus on the point I’m playing, not to think ahead to the game, set, or match. It’s a process,” said Lee.
Determined to keep its undefeated record untarnished, Andover will face off against Milton Academy next Wednesday.
