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Playing at home against their rivals, the girls squash match with Exeter was close and exciting. Thanks to gutsy play by PA's five seniors, the Blue came through with an exciting 5-2 win. At # 6, JeanMarie Gossard hustled her way to a 3-0 win with game scores of 9-7, 9-6, 10-8. At #s 2 and 3, Diana Grace and Cara Ruccolo came back from first game losses to bring home 3-1 wins by using good combinations of length drives and drop shots. Skylar Washburn and Charlotte MacMillan battled back from 2 game deficits to complete a sweep for the senior contingent. Superior fitness, competitive desire, and good coaching from their teammmates carried us through to a fitting end to our regular season.
Friday the varsity gilrs travelled to Middlesex for a rematch. This time Middlesex had its full lineup while PA was missing their #4, Cara Ruccolo. The top three players for the Blue, Ali Zindman, Diana Grace, and Charlotte MacMillan continued to play consistent, quality squash and won their matches 3-0. The squash was a bit uneven from there down as PA dropped 5 games out of 14 at #s 4-7, but everyone played hard. Final score 6-1 for Andover. The team will host Exeter this Wednesday. It should be a great match.
Wednesday the girls varsity squash team hosted Groton, definitely the strongest team they've played this year. PA played some good squash, especially after the girls got past playing against their opponent's reputation. But at the end of the day Andover took only two games from the talented visitors while losing 0-7. Friday the team plays Middlesex, followed by a Wednesday date with Exeter at home. Then it's off to the tournament at Groton the following weekend.
Last night Deerfield came to town with much the same girls varsity squash team that beat PA last year. As the result of terrific effort and intelligent play the Big Blue came away with a satisfying 6-1 win. Seniors Charlotte MacMillan, Cara Ruccolo, Skylar Washburn, and JeanMarie Gossard continued to provide us with crucial wins in the middle of the lineup. At the #1 spot, sophomore Ali Zindman played hard, but lost 0-3 to an experienced Deerfield senior who played a more controlled, tactically sound match. Captain Diana Grace regained her form, beating a skilled, but less fit opponent by extending points early in the match with great court coverage and shot selection. Despite a sore shoulder and a first game loss, # 7 Pawina Jiramongkolchai came through with an inspiring 3-1 win. She finished her match in glorious style with a service winner to the low rectangle. Next up is the biggest challenge yet--an undefeated Groton team at home next Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday the giels varsity squash team hosted St. Paul's School and earned the match win with a final score of 6-1. The quality of the play was excellent right down the ladder. Of special note were convincing 3-0 wins by Ali Zindman. Skylar Washburn, JeanMarie Gossard and Pawina Jiramongkolchoi at the # 1, 5, 6, and 7 spots respectively. The team faces Deerfield at home this Friday at 6 pm.
Saturday the girls varsity squash team hosted a strong Milton team. There was lots of high quality squash, competitive desire, and positive spirit on display. Players from both sides fought through subpar health and minor injuries to do their best for their teams. At the end of the day, Milton prevailed by a 4-3 score. Andover got wins from seniors Charlotte MacMillan, Cara Ruccolo, and JeanMarie Gossard at the #s 3, 4, and 6 spots respectively. Next up is another tough opponent--St. Pauls at home on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Though not at full strength, the Andover squash girls prevailed over a good Nobles team 4-3 at Nobles. With Ali Zindman and Diana Grace contending with physical challenges due to minor injury and a cold respectively, PA needed their depth and experience to secure victory. Wins came at #s 3, 5, 6, and 7. Charlotte MacMillan regained her form and Skylar Washburn, JeanMarie Gossard, and Pawina Jiramongkolchai all played determined, intelligent squash. Next up is our biggest test yet: Milton at home this Saturday at 2.
Traveling just ahead of Saturday's snowstorm, the Andover girls squash teams took on Exeter, and led by captain Diana Grace, the varsity seven prevailed by a 5-2 score. The courts were hot at Exeter's impressive new squash center, and as a result the rallies were long and tiring. A combination of fitness, mental toughness in the face of a loud Exeter crowd, and timely tactical adjustments combined to earn the girls wins in three of the four matches that were decided in their fifth games. Overall, the three PA girls teams outscored their Red counterparts 15-11 before heading home amidst blizzard conditions.
Girls Varsity squash hosted Middlesex this afternoon, and the home team came away with a 6-1 victory. The highlight of the match was a tense, come from behind 3-2 win at #1 for Ali Zindman. Charlotte MacMillan lost a close, well played match at # 3, and everyone else played well. Saturday, the team heads up to Exeter for a 2:15 match.
The girls varsity squash team travelled to Taft School Saturday for two matches. First the girls in blue took on a strong Taft team and came away with a hard fought 4-3 win. PA's number 1, lower Ali Zindman played some good squash but lost to a very skilled and experienced Taft player. Wins came at #s 3,4,5 and 7 thanks to solid, intelligent play from Charlotte MacMillan, Cara Ruccolo, Skylar Washburn, and Pawina Jiramongkolchai. At #6, JeanMarie Gossard lost a heartbreaker in the 5th game. Captain Diana Grace led Andover to a 7-0 sweep of Loomis by winning 10-8 in the 5th. In the battle of #1s, the two players fought for control of the match with Zindman pulling herself together in the third game to close out a 3-0 win with a third game score of 9-3. The team has plenty of room for improvement in all areas, but overall, the Blue competed well on this long, challenging day.
The girls varsity squash team was one of the few teams to leave for Choate early enough to avoid cancellation by the oncoming snowfall. They made the long day worthwhile by defeating a young, but game Choate team 7-0. Andover's new #1, tenth grader Ali Zindman, overwhelmed her opponent in three quick games. Charlotte MacMillan got off to a slow start on the plaster court she was assigned to, losing the first game 9-4. But with a few nice adjustments to her game plan, she controlled the next three games and won them by scores of 9-5, 9-3, 9-5. Captain Diana Grace, and fellow seniors Cara Ruccolo and Skylar Washburn easily handled their opponents with accurate serving and efficient, intelligent play. Playing with great determination, JeanMarie Gossard came back from an 0-2 deficit to eke out a !0-9 overtime win in the 5th. At #7, Diana Willson regained the form she showed in winning the first two games of her match to prevail in an exciting 9-7 5th game victory. The team's next matches are with Taft and Loomis-Chaffee this coming Saturday. Both are good teams, so it will be PA's chance to see how good they really are at this point in the season.
The PA girls took on Tabor today on the home courts and won 7-0 in their first match of the season. Everyone played some good squash, especially for this early in the season. The squad looks forward to resuming the season when they return in January.
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