Girls' Squash Doubleheader

EXETER, NH – Coming off of their impressive win against St. George’s on Wednesday, girls’ squash played their hardest at their double-header against Taft and Loomis this Saturday at Loomis. Their spirits were high going into their matches after their well-deserved win earlier that week, as St. George’s has proven to be a worthy opponent over the years of beating Big Red.“We are starting to be able to hold our own against some of the top teams this year. We beat George’s for the first time in a number of years on Wednesday,” senior captain Elle MacAlpine said. Junior varsity and varsity both swept clean wins Wednesday, promising to be competitors this season.Overall, the team did well in their double-header. They crushed Loomis; the girls pressed through the long day of driving and playing matches, and most won their matches fairly easily. The match against Taft did not fare as well, and the team lost despite high hopes.“Even though most people lost their match, each game was a lot closer than last year, when they destroyed us,” MacAlpine said. The outcome was not ideal, but it was a good indicator that the team has more potential this year.Senior captain Madge Tan also remains positive. “The team is looking good. We have a lot of young players who show a lot of promise, and we have good team chemistry this year. There’s a lot of motivation across the board,” Tan said. Young talent will prove to be paramount to the success of this season and the seasons to come.On a similar note, lower Taylor Jean-Jacques said, “We’re looking much better this year; we lost a couple good players, but a lot of people worked hard over the summer and fall. So, as a whole we’re much better.” Girls squash has a group of dedicated girls determined to redeem themselves through hard work and practice from last year’s bad season ending 3-12. This season, with a promising record of 2-3, the team has made its first steps towards beating last year's record.The one fatal flaw of girls squash had been their lack of mental toughness. The problem arose in the past during tough matches: the girls would lose their confidence and wouldn’t be able to play at their best and secure the wins. “On court we also need to work on footwork and tactical game, while working on the mental aspect of the sport,” Tan said. With firm goals in set, girls squash looks all set to win.