Boys Squash

Boys Squash Falls to Deerfield In First Match in Snyder Center

After a long rally, sixth seed Xander Schwartz ’19 received the ball at midcourt and reverse-boasted it into the corner to win the point against his Deerfield opponent. Schwartz went on to win his match 3-0. Despite Andover’s efforts, the team ultimately fell 5-2 to Deerfield for the second year in a row. Andover’s record now stands at 2-3.

Captain and third seed David Tsai ’18 commended Schwartz on his play. Tsai said, “Xander Schwartz had an unbelievable win today. I think he deserves player of the day for winning his match for the team and just taking care of business and doing his job.”

Going into the match, the team looked to do its job and play smart and simple, according to fifth seed Erik Wang ’21.

Wang said, “We were all just trying to play our best since, historically, Deerfield has been a strong team. We were trying to play our part and play tactically and aggressively and stay in every rally.”

“We were trying to play simple, smart squash, trying to not get too complicated and not be the first person to lose focus. We tried to stay tight, stay in rhythm, and not make too many mistakes,” said Schwartz.

Fourth seed Jack Lee ’20 also suffered a 3-1 loss but showed an inspiring fight, according to Tsai.

Tsai said, “Jack Lee had an awesome win in the first game, which really set the tone for everyone else. He fought extremely hard and should be really proud of how he played the match.”

Schwartz said, “Deerfield was obviously a very skilled team. They are very good down through the entire ladder. I thought we had some really good fight through our own ladder.”

According to Tsai, the team will focus on playing confident, precise squash to prepare for its match against Groton on Friday.

Tsai said, “We’re looking to play squash that is simpler and also more mistake-free. We have to focus on being more confident when controlling the points and controlling the match situation.”